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THREE 
POLITICAL TRAGEDIES 



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Three 
Political Tragedies 

Napoleon 

The Lion at Bay 

The Tyrolese Patriots 

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CHARLLS G. FALL 

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Copyright, 1914, 
By Cuaklks G. Fall 

All rights reserved 



PRINTED IN THK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



THE COLONIAL PRESS 
C. H. SIMONDS CO., BOSTON, U. 8. A. 



M 13 1914 



^CIA376933 

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CONTENTS 

PAQB 

Napoleon — From Toulon to St. Helena 1 

The Lion at Bay Ill 

The Tyrolese Patriots 219 



TiAPOLEON — FKOM TOULON TO ST. 
HELENA 



This is an attempt to dramatize the career of Xapo- 
leon. What life since Adam was one more dramatic ? 
From Toulon to Friedland ascending ! From Friedland 
to St. Helena descending! Up like a rocket, down like 
a stick ! The son of a notary ; the rival of Charlemagne ; 
the fellow of convicts. Xor is it difficult t-o believe that 
no such person has ever existed, so meteoric was his 
career. It surpassed Caesar's, indeed, for Xapoleon 
filled out his allotted davs. 

Xo one should attempt this task who has not tried 
to know his history as nuns know their Bibles. Xor 
is this knowledge enough ; for the causes which lifted 
him and the causes which tumbled him should be dis- 
covered, and his character and opinions and those of 
the men around him must be learned. And with this 
must go a dramatic instinct and some poetical gifts. 
It is a task for Shakespeare. But Shakespeare isn't 
here and a village carpenter has attempted it. It has 
been badly done, no doubt. But such as it is, here it is. 



NAPOLEON — FROM TOULON TO ST. 
HELENA 

A Drama in Five Acts and Eight Scenes (Four 
large and four small) 

(1795-1797) 
Act 1, Scene I. The Garden of the Luxembourg, 
Paris. 
Scene IL Same scenery. 
Scene III. Same scenery. 
Scene IV. Same scenery. 
(1807) 
Act II, Scene I. The Garden at Schonbrunn, 
Vienna. 
Scene II. Same scenery. 
Act III, Scene I. A hut in a forest. 

Scene II. A fisherman's house near the 

sea. 
Scene III. The nave of the Cathedral at 
Erfurt. 
Act IV, Scene I. A salon in the palace at Fon- 
tainebleau. 
Scene II. A tent on a battle-field. 
Act V, Scene I. The battle-field of Leipsic (vil- 
lage street). 
Scene II. The courtyard at Fontaine- 

bleau. 
Scene III. Same scenery. 
Scene IV. Same scenery. 
Scene V. Spectacular. 
5 



DRAMATIS PERSONS 



NAPOLEON -FROM TOULON TO 
ST. HELENA 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE 

Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Goethe, the German poet. 

MuRAT, Marshal of France, King of Naples; hrother- 
in-law of Napoleon. 

ISTey, Marshal of France; " the Bravest of the Brave." 

Macdonalb, Marshal of France; hero of the coup 
d'etat. 

Talleyrand, Bishop of Verdun; minister and diplo- 
matist. 

Prince Metternich, Austrian minister and diploma- 
tist. 

Alexander, Czar of Russia. 

Barras, Member of the Directory. 

Carnot, Member of the Directory ; organizer of the 
Revolutionary armies. 

Latourneur and two other Directors. 

Count Haugwitz, Prussian minister; diplomatist. 

Eugene, son of Josephine; Marshal of France; heir 
presumptive of Napoleon. 

Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon; afterwards 
King of Holland. 

Josephine Beauharnais, afterwards Empress of 
France. 



8 NAPOLEON 

Carolink BowAPAKTb;, wifc of Mural; afterwards 

Queen of Naples. 
Paulime Bonaparte, afterwards Priticess Borghese. 
HoRTENSE Beauiiarnais, daughter of Josephine, who 

became wife of Louis Bonaparte, and Queru of 

Holland; mother of Napoleon HI. 
Marie Louise, daughter of Emperor of Austria, who 

becomes Empress of France. 
Queen Louise, Queen of Prussia, mother of Kaiser 

William I. 
Fritz, Crown Prince of Prussia: afterwards Frederick 

^yilliam■ HI. 

Prince Wii.liam of Pru^^^sia. afterwards Kaiser Will- 
iam I. 

An Assassin, who attempts the life of Napoleon. An 
English Spy. An Ilussar. 

Kings, princes, dukes, in attendance at the Congress of 
Erfurt. 

Note. — An attempt to dramatize Napoleon's life, 
his rise and fall, and its causes, must, of necessity, put 
upon the stage the characters prominent during the 
epochs of the life represented. Some of them, like Xey, 
Talleyrand, Murat, were prominent during his whole 
career; others, like Barras, Carnot, Metternich, Queen 
Louise, ]\rarie Louise, Josephine, during a part only. 
It follows, therefore, that these latter appear in parts 
of the play only, and one actor can, if desired, take two 
of these parts. 

One actor could take the part of Napoleon and Talley- 



DRAMATIS PERSONS 9 

rand ; Barras and JSTey ; Carnot and Macdonald ; Hor- 
tenvse and Marie Louise ; Josephine and Queen Louise ; 
Murat and llaugwitz ; Eugene and Alexander. 

Louis Bonaparte, Caroline, and Pauline have little, 
and the kings, princes and dukes in attendance at the 
Congress of Erfurt, nothing to saj. 



10 NAPOLEON 

ACT I 

Scene I 

The Garden of the Luxembourg. Cosium.es of ths 
time of the Directory. Barras and Carnot in con- 
ference. 

Barras. More blood ? Has not the p^iillotine yet 
slaked 
Medusa's thirst ? Think you this mob will move on ns 
to-morrow ? 

Cnrnot. I hear that Saint Antoine's a seething caul- 
dron ; 
Montmartre's ablaze with discontent; I fear Sedition 
Shakes her Gorgon head at us ! 

Barra-s. The people hate this new-born Constitution 
These blacksmiths now arc hammering out; 
I've heard the Earthquake's e:rowls and mutterings; 
'Twould seem as if the blood of all the thousands 
Queen Guillotine has sent unshrived to Heaven 
Should sate her greedy maw ! 

Carnot. The tiger, when he gets the tast-e of blood, 
Cries, like the horse-leech, " Give, oh, give me blood! " 
Such gorv vaporings intoxicate 
Like wine. 

Barras. How many madmen do you fear? 

Carnot. Some thirty thousand, Sant^rre says. 

Barras. 'Twas such a mob that trudged, six years 



ACT FIRST n 

Ago, from Paris to Versailles 

To thunder Famine in King Louis' ears ; 

A swirling torrent ! Such Vesuvian rage 

The Bastille stormed, and bore De Launay's head 

Through Paris on a pike. 

Carnot. These were the agonies of centuries 
That burst their barriers. . . . 

Barras. To deluge France with Insurrection's bile. 
But times have changed. These raving lunatics 
Must now be chained. They'll have our heads, betimes. 

Carnot. The medicine for madmen is cold iron. 
They need steel bayonets and iron pills. 

Barras. 'Twill either kill or cure; our heads are 
theirs 
Or theirs are ours. There is a Corsican, 
A sallow stripling, with big, hungry eyes. 
Who dogs my steps and offers a prescription 
Will quiet mobs, he says. A young lieutenant ; 
His eager visage haunts the gallery. 

Carnot. What is his name ? 

Barras. I've never heard. He says that at Toulon 
He had a battery. 

Carnot. What is his medicine ? 

Barras. Volleys of grape-shot. This, he says, will 
send 
These dervishes a-flying to their holes. 

Carnot. But how would he administer his poison ? 

Barras. He'd station guns at the converging streets ; 
Build barricades with paving-stones, and 
Send his leaden pellets down their throats. 



12 NAPOLEON 

Carnot. 'Twould iill more graves than doctors can 
with physic! 

[Talleyrand approaches, dressed like a Bishop. 

Barras. Who's this comes here? Is't Talleyrand? 

Carnot. His form, his face, his limp ! 

Barras. Quintessence of deceit ! 

Carnot. A serpent's wisdom sanctifies his guile! 
I knew him when at school ; beneath that cassock 
There lurks Ambition's impish frenzy. 

Talleyrand. Good morrow, gentlemen ! 

Barras. Good morning, Talleyrand ! 

Carnot. Good morning! You've been away from 
Paris ? 

Talleyrand. Oh, yes. This climate suits not my 
complexion. 
Whene'er the sun is crimson, skies rain blood, 
Why, then, a man of my pale countenance 
Should try a cooler atmosphere; this air 
Of Paris was far too Vesuvian. 
And then that collar ^Madame Guillotine 
Adjusts so closely round her lovers' throats 
Was not becoming to my pallid beauty ; 
When drawn too close it cuts the chin. 

Bairas. Yes, Robespierre complained of this. 

Talleyrand. And I have read that the Assembly 
begged 
Her Majesty, Queen Guillotine, to try 
On him the coat he'd tried so oft on others. 

Carnot. Where found yon that salubrious air ? 

Talleyrand. Among the Red Men and the Puritans, 



ACT FIRST 13 

Across the seas in forest solitudes. 

Carnot. America ? 

Talleyrand. My cloisters were primeval colonnades 
Where Kennebec betroths Atlantic's surge. 

Carnot. You knew her patriot sons ? 

Talleyrand. Yes, Franklin and the brace of 
Adamses, 
And him who dipt his pen in eagle's blood 
And wrote : All men have been created equal 
In right to life and law and liberty ; — 
And Washington, the noblest of them all. 
And one of Plutarch's men, the Scipios' son. 

Barras. And Lafayette says he gave them back his 
sword 
When he had cut the Lion's claws ! 

Carnot. You know their Constitution? 

Talleyrand. Its stately tread is burnt upon my 
brain ; 
In wisdom 'tis the heir of all the ages ; 
For Magna Charta and the Bill of Rights 
Were but the vestibule of Freedom's temple, 

Barras. And will it stand the fires and hurricanes 
Of party madness, civil war and faction ? 

Talleyrand. Aye ! 'tis so braced, so buttressed 
everywhere, 
That Samson's self could not its columns shake. 

Carnot. Its seeds are scattering . . . 

Talleyrand. With every wind. No ship that east- 
ward turns 
Its prow towards France or towards the German Rhine 



14 NAPOLEON 

But bears the seeds of Freedom, broadcast sows 
This gospel of the free through Europe. 

Carnot. How strange that in that Western wilder- 
ness 
A cloud should rise no bigger than man's hand 
And deluge Europe with its aqueous blessings ! 
From them we learned to sing our Marseillaise. 

Talleyrand. But learned, besides, the Song of An- 
archy ! 
These mobs; these Hydra Kings, now spouting blood 
And fire; these butchers who have turned all 

France 
To shambles and, like tigers when they've tasted 
Man's blood, cry out for more and will not be 
Denied ; they threaten ruin to our lands. 
Your Madame Guillotine a sister is 
Of Thraldom's iron maid of Nuremberg. 
You have no easy task, my friends, to hold 
These devils in your leash. Beware! Beware! 

[Talleyrand goes out. 
Barras. Too well we know that Damoclean sword 
Is hanging over us ! Our eyes can see 
Its gleaming blade, and see the single hair 
Suspends it ; seen it fall on other heads, 
On Danton's, Roland's, Antoinette's, Lamballe's, 
On heads as numberless as are the leaves 
At Fontainebleau or countless sands restrain 
The surging sea. Ah ! but to see the sword 
Is not to escape it ! How can this be done ? 

[MuRAT enters, dressed in the uniform of the 



ACT FIRST 15 

National Guard, and hands a letter to Bar- 
BAs, which he reads and hands to Carnot. 

Barras. Young Bonaparte suspects the mob to-mor- 
row ! 
Shall we enlist his aid ? Do you approve 
His scheme for our defence ? {To Murat. 

Know you the sender of this missive ? 

Murat. We wet our whistles, when we've sous 
enough, 
And break our bread together. 

Barras. Has he an iron nerve ? 

Murat. A nerve as dauntless as was Caesar's ! 
Caesar's his constant study, bedfellow ! 

Barras. Knows he the art of war ? 

Murat. He's godson of the God of War. The air 
He sniffs is superfluous with battle-smoke. 

Barras. Can he enforce his will ? 

Murat. He's inch on inch a soldier ; born to snatch 
Fair Fortune by the forelock. 

Barras. At the Directory in half an hour ! 

[Murat goes out. 
This youth has Fortune made for this occasion ; 
We must unsheathe the sword of Resolution 
And gird it round our loins ; think you not so ? 
ISTow Opportunity must seize War's hand ! 
The hour has flown when pale-faced, blue-eyed Thought 
Should head the table at our council-board. 
Is't true that when Toulon was captured back 
This lad showed he had tiger's teeth ? 

Carnot. True ! Now I do remember me I sent 



16 NAPOLEON 

A young lieutenant — Bonaparte his name — 

To inspect our southern ports and their equipments, 

And make report how best our sea-girt coast 

We could defend against the Lion's paw. 

He knew the uses of artillery. 

Barras. Let us commend him to the rest ! For time 
Is pressing; our necessities are great. [Both go out. 



Scene II 

Same scenery. A council of war in progress. Baekas, 
Caknot and the other three memhers of the Direc- 
tory are sitting in conference when the curtain rises. 

Barras. The Hapsburg fears his dynasty's in dan- 
ger 
And little does he reck of those he rules; 
Clamors for patient donkeys he can ride ; 
His fear is lest he lose his palaces, 
His plunder and that sword of Charlemagna 
And Prussia's rule of blood and bayonets 
Is but the Hohenzollern's greed of power. 
Both seek to keep themselves and keep all Kings 
Upon the thrones their bandit forebears won. 
This gi-asping hunger has become a frenzy 
And topples Reason from its high estate 
To place the coronet upon War's brow. 
Thou Genius of the Revolution ! Come I 
Strike off the shackles from our patient hands I 



ACT FIRST 17 

Kings are the People's choice, not God's elect. 
Freedom would from the house-top swing her cap 
And Thraldom weep if Royalty should die. 
How children oft are slaughtered like sweet lambs 
For sins some royal favorite has done ; 
And Virtue oft the scars of Vice will bear 
That Kings may wear their father's livery. 

Carnot. A sad, sad fate ! 

Barras. But war is Hell ; 'tis never holiday ; 
The savage hand of Might, not Right! 
The wraiths of glory that enhalo war, 
That pageant of hoarse, clamorous tongues 
Which Rumor's trumpet heralds through the world, 
This is man's recompense for dying. The lad 
Who cut the bridge when Tiber rolled beneath, 
To stay Etruria's hordes of slaughterers. 
And sank with it in Tiber's tawny arms. 
Rose up upon the chariot-wheels of Fame. 
But oh, the fathers, mothers, sweethearts, wives 
Who wash down Want and Agony with tears ! 
They die as if a candle had gone out. 
With none to tell that here some broken heart 
With its faint sputterings expired ! War ! War ! 
You are the game of Kings ; Kingdoms your stake ! 

Latourneur. What news bring back your spies from 
Austria ? 
What armies has the Hapsburg in his camps 
Entrained for France ? 

Carnot. When Winter lifts her grip from off our 
highways, 



18 NAPOLEON 

Then Austria will send three armies forth. 
The first will tempt our border from the north ; 
Another from the Rhine ; a third will scale 
The Savoy Alps ; but all will steer their course 
For Paris and the bleeding heart of France, 
Their banners blazoned with : Long live all Kings. 

Latourneur. And we ? 

Carnot. Our northern armies are now panoplied ; 
Jourdan commands the first; Moreau, the Rhine . . . 

Latourneur. And Italy's? 

Carnot. We've called for volunteers; our procla- 
mations 
Posted : To arms ! The country is in danger ! 

Latourneur. And who commands these volunteers ? 

Carnot. What say you to young Bonaparte ? 

[MuRAT comes in excitedly. 

Murat. All Paris will be here anon ! The people 
Have heard your cry and boil with joy, 
Cheering the orators, ready to march 
With guns or clubs, pitchforks or anything! 

[Crowds tegin to come in. 

Carnot. Here is the patriot's answer to our call! 
France, fair France ! dear mother of us all ! 
Your sons for centuries have poured their blood, 
Their Avealth, their honor, everything held dear, 
Into your sacred urn, and lighted it 
With fire called down from Heaven. Oft, too oft, 
This incense rose as from a funeral pyre, 
Faded as smoke to nothingness ; and yet 
The horrid holocaust goes on. 



ACT FIRST 19 



Scene III 

This scene is spectacular, a continuation of the previous 
o.ne, and is designed to recall the famous picture in 
the Versailles galleries called " The Enlistment." 
As the patriots come in three tables are brought from 
the wings, on which placards are hung: " To Arms! 
The Country is in danger!" Bareas, Caenot a^id 
MuEAT take seats at the tables and open enlistment 
rolls, ivhich people come up and eagerly sign. Women 
want to contribute, and Mukat puts his hat on the 
table, into which they throw rings, bracelets, trinkets, 
necklaces, brooches, watches, etc., till the hat is full. 
Men in groups engage in eager conversation. Young 
BoisTAPAETE comcs in, in the uniform of the National 
Guard, and calmly watches the scene from the wings. 
A veteran of other wars comes, in his faded uniform, 
on crutches, and brings his son, who signs; and he 
wants to do so himself. A widow brings her son and 
his father's sivord, and ivhen he has signed she buck- 
les the sword around him and kisses him. A young 
man comes ivith his wife, leading her little children, 
signs the roll, and his wife and children kiss him 
with pride. A crowd of recruits, led by St. Cyr, 
march around the stage with muskets, swords, lances, 
pitchforks and the '' Tricolor " tied to guns and 
swo)-ds. The orchestra plays the Marseillaise and 
the crowd sing it. The greatest enthu^siasm exists. 



20 NAPOLEON 



Scene IV 

Same scenery. Costumes of the time of the Directory. 
Barras comes in from dinner with Josephine Beau- 
iiARNAis, who afterwards marries Bonaparte, on his 
arm. The noise of plates and glasses is heard as 
the curtain rises. Afterwards Murat comes in with 
Caroi.ine Bonaparte^ who afterwards hecomes his 
wife and Queen of Naples. As the curtain rises a/n 
orchestra behind the scenes plays some light music, 
suitable for a dinner-party. Later Talleyrand 
comes in luith Pauline Bonaparte, atid Louis 
Bonaparte with Hortense Beauharnais, Joseph- 
ine's daughier, whom he afterivard marries and be- 
comes King of Belgium. Eugene i^ with them. 
They dance a minuet afterwards, waving the " Tri- 
color." 

Josephine. Delightful! Charming! What infinite 
assurance ! 
Were all his soldiers really hungry, barefoot 
And ragged ? 

Barras. Yes. Some had scarcely rags to cover 

them ! 
Josephine. How read his proclamation ? Tell me, 

truly ! 
Barras. " Soldiers : You are hungry, naked, shoe- 
less! 
Across those Alps are fertile fields, rich towns 



ACT FIRST 21 

And provinces, prosperity, abundance ; 
Follow me and they are yours ! " 

Josephine. The falcon hardly strikes his prey more 
swiftly 
Than he those Austrians ! What were those rules 
Of war he violated ? 

Barras. Sometimes he marched before the sun was 

up. 
Josephine. (Scornfully.) How could he be so 

cruel ? 
Barras. He was so young, precipitate. 
Josephine. The crime of Youth ! He will out- 
grow it ! 
What else ? 

Barras. Sometimes he fought before they'd break- 
fasted . , . 
Josephine. Cruelty incarnate ! 
Barras. He took their baggage ; took their finery 
And laces ! 

Josephine. Worse and more of it ! 
Barras. His sword was like the lightning! 
Josephine. And like that fertile scimitar of Sala- 
din, 
Could slice a feather floating in the air 
Or cleave an iron bar . . . 

Barras. And like the Afric Monarch's trunk, which 
lifts 
A needle or tears up a tree. 

[They continue their conversation on the side of 
the stage. Mtjrat and Caroline come in. 



22 NAPOLEON 

Murat. Your brother has eclipsed my hopes ! 

Caroline. You knew him ere he went to Italy ? 

Murat. Oh, yes ! We've often broke the bread of 
hope 
And poverty together ! 

Caroline. Before or since we sisters came to 
Paris ? 

Murat. At Madame Angot's, on Saint Honore, 
When Fortune smiled a sickly smile 
And eked out scanty sous. 

Caroline. This transformation seems a dream ; but 
not, 
I know, to him. When we were children, playing 
Within our sea-girt realm of Corsica, 
His wooden sword, 'twas Alexander's sword, 
And I was Alexander's Queen, Roxana. 

Murat. The child was god-sire of the man. 

[They continue their conversation on the side of 
the stage. Talleyrand and Pauline come 
in. 

Pauline. My brother had no right in Genoa ? 

Talleyrand. Kone save necessity ! For Genoa 
Was neutral ground. But Austria's eagle perched 
Across the Alps, meanwhile, sharpening his beak. 
There is no law of nations. Conference 
Has made no law defining nations' rights. 
'Tis true that Grotius, yes, and others, too, 
Have forged great principles, forged bands of steel 
To hold great states in sweet accord ; and true 
Old precedents hold sway, as sovereign essence. 



ACT FIRST 23 

But these are garments cut for single use: 
And no states jet have been created twins. 
Self-interest it is that governs them, 
And Might is always sovereign arbiter. 

Pauline. ^Necessity ? Was that sufficient warrant ? 
Talleyrand. What's Genoa ? A wart upon the thigh 
Of Italy ! Let him protest who dares ! 
When Genoa's great son, the great Columbus, 
Balanced that egg that fools were playing with 
lie broke the egg to do it. Macedon 
Untied the Gordian Knot by cutting it. 
Pauline. Did Austria protest ? 

Talleyrand. 'Twas idle wind that whistled round a 
castle ! 
The guns of Lodi and of Areola 
Soon drowned her wails, although she cracked her 

cheeks 
With bellowings. 

[Here Louis Bonaparte and Hoetense and Eu- 
gene come dancing in, waving little tricolor 
flags and shouting " Vive , La France ! " 
" Vive General Bonaparte I " 
Eugene. When's General Carnot coming, mama ? 
Josephine. Very soon, I hope, my dears. 
Hortense. (To Barras.) Why, uncle, does not 

General Carnot come? 
Barras. He's at the Ministry. Dispatches came 
From General Bonaparte in Italy 
About a treaty sealed with Austria 
At Campo Formio. 



24 NAPOLEON 

Horiense. He promised to dance the minuet with 
me. 
Here are musicians, and I too am ready. 
Please send a messenger and toll him to make haste. 
Tell him Hortense is waitinc;. 

Barras. {To JosEniiNE.) When Ajax lays his 
armor off, puts on 
The panoply of peace and hies him home, 
The Directory will give a gorgeous fete 
Here in the palace of the Luxembourg. 
All Paris will be here. 

Josephine. 'TAvill be a glorious spectacle, and 
worthy 
To rank with Roman triumphs. 

Barras. May I present to you the conqueror? 
Josephine. Most gladly would I know him, for my 
children 
Are always singing of his victories. 

[The minuet begins. While it is in progress Car- 
NOT eomes in. The danee hreal's off and all 
run to meet him, lead him down front, where 
all gather round to hear the news. 
Camot. A treaty hatched with Austria gives France 
Belgium, Ionia, Sardinia ; 
And Northern Italy is now one state 
Yclept Republic Cisalpine, ally 
Of ours; and old Liguria becomes 
Republican, with Genoa its head. 
On eighteen battle-fields has Austrian pride 
itissed our Republic's feet ; dear France 



ACT FIRST 25 

Is over-lord of Northern Italy ; 

The boundary of France is now the Rhine 

As in our glorious past, 

[Enthvsiasm,, with the waving of flags by the chil- 
dren and handkerchiefs hy the ladies, a/nd 
shouts of " Vive General Bonaparte ! " 
" Vive La France ! " 



26 NAPOLEON 

ACT II 

Scene I 
Austerlitz and After 

The Imperial Garden at Schonhrunn. The garden 

shows its terraces at the back of the stage and, a clump 

of trees on the side. 
EuGENE;, eight years older than when ive last saw him, 

comes on the stage with a packet in his hand he has 

brought post-haste from Paris. 

Eugene. So this is Sclionbrnnn ! Still as is Sahara ! 
No voice awakes its echoes save the rooks 
And hooded owls, — grim ghosts of faded splendors ! 
The King has fled, and conrt, this ancient palace 
Of those Caesars, - — lieirs of Charlemagne, — 
Their ears have heard the guns of Ansterlitz, — 
Rolled np their tents, and vanished, bag and baggage. 
I've messages from Talleyrand ; have ridden 
Post-haste; for time was more than horse-flesh. 
Napoleon must be here ere long. 

[Noise of horses is heard, rattle of spurs and 

sabres, and. of men dismounting. Mukat 

comes in with three or four of his staff, all 

covered irith mud from a hard ride. 

Murat. Well, boys, 'tis here we camp to-night! 

'Tis better 



ACT SECOND 27 

Than bivouacking on the frozen ground, 
Toasting our toes on ice. IIow still 'tis here ! 
'Tis darkest Egypt, with no Mamelukes; 
Throw out your scouts and phice your sentinels ! 
The Emperor is here within the hour. 

An Officer. We use these stables, grain and prov- 
ender ? 

Murat. Use anything, use everything! They're 
ours ! 
Are they not good enough ? 

Officer. Oh, yes, they'll do. 

Murat. But none too good for us! They were the 
Csesar's, — 
His plunder, and now ours : — the chance of War. 

Eugene. {Saluting.) Good evening, Marshal 
Murat. 

Murat. Eugene! Why, is this you, my boy? 
And where did you come from ? 

Eugene. From Paris. Messages from Talleyrand ! 

Murat. How is dear Paris ? Saint Honore ? 

Eugene. In love with you as 'twas three months ago. 

Murat. 'Tis Paradise ! Vienna's no more like her 
That Saint Antoine is like to Saint Germain, 
And Paris will be glad to see us ? Eh ? 

Eugene. Quite overjoyed. Where have you come 
from now ? 

Murat. We hail from Austerlitz! 

Eugene. How far away ? 

Murat. A hundred miles. Papa, the Emperor, 
Sent on my cavalry, scouting, scQuring ; 



^ NAPOLEON 

But Dutchmen were like cabbages in Cairo, — 
They scud like sheep before a winter's wind. 

Eugene. 'Twas hot at Austerlitz ? 

Murat. Hot? Yes, 'twas Hell with all its furnaces 
ablaze ! 
That was a battle for the gods to see ; 
Great Caesar would have had his bellj-full, 
And Alexander would have sighed no more. 
'Twas pigsticking, my boy! And Austrians 
And Russians were like chaff before a fire. 
The Emperor by his manceuvering 
Had trapped the silly mokes as we bag foxes 
Among the trees of Fontainebleau. 

Eugene. I'd given a year of life had I been there ! 
They must have thought their teeth were breaking flint. 

Murat. That day at Austerlitz was worth, to him 
Whose meat and drink is battle-smoke, who loves 
The shock of squadrons and the victor's cheers, 
A lifetime, idled like a popinjay 
In camps, musing on buttons, dress parades. 
Deportment, and the smiles of love-sick maids. 

Eugene. And think of me, poor devil, tying tape 
And drinking ink and counting gims and noses. 
Hived in a soldiers' nursery in Paris, 
While you were driving Glory's chariot-wheels 
Upon the slopes of high Olympus ! 

Murat. Be patient, boy ! Your father has, T know, 
A glorious task for you in Italy. 
The Emperor ! 

[The distani noise of carriage-wheels. 



ACT SECOND 29 

Eugene. His strategy was wonderful ? 

Murat. He never was more truly God of War 
Than on that day. Ere yet the Dawn was up 
He reconnoitred — 'tis his wont — along 
Our battle-front, muffled, riding " Old Marengo " ; 
The grenadiers — he calls them his " Mustaches " — 
Discovered him, and cheered ; reminding him 
It was his coronation-day. Their cheers 
Awoke the camp and set the camp-fires blazing 
Till day was jubilant with flames and shouts. . . . 

Eugene. 'Twas so when great Achilles rode along 
The Grecian battle-front ! 

Murat. A heavy mist concealed the two Kings' 
camps, 
But with the sun — that sun of Austerlitz ! — 
The mist took wings as thieves skulk off 
As soon as daylight comes. 

Eugene. At first the fight was adverse? 

Murat. So say our enemies ! They never saw — 
Poor fools ! — the snare the cunning fowler set. 
Two nations and two Kings were swallowed up 
In that engulfing maelstrom's rage. 
Two months ago we sat around Boulogne 
While Nelson's sleuth-hounds scoured the Channel seas. 
All Europe is the tail of England's kite; 
'Tis England's gold that feeds their furnaces. 

[The noise of carriage-wheels arriving. 

Eugene. The Emperor ! 

[Napoleon comes in, wearing his familiar gray 
travelling-coat, and embraces Eugene. 



30 NAPOLEON 

Napoleon. M_v son! When tlid von roacli Vienna? 

Eugene. An lunir ago. 

Napoleon. Von oanio diroet from Paris ? 

Eutjene. Witli niossaiios from Tallovraml. 

Napoleon. \{>uv nictlu'r, is slio well and happy? 

Eugene. lla]>py, bnt anxicnis. Sire. 

Napoleon. Has slie not heard of Ulm ? 

Eugene. Tlial niad(> hev \evy ha]i]\v. 

Napoleo)!. SiiuH^ tluMi slug's heard of Austerlitz: 
I sent a niesseniivr that very niglit. 
"Well, brother, how does this ]daeo snit tlie Sou 
Of Aleibiades ? 
^ Mural. A pnMty plae(\ Avell-named ; bnt not Saint 
Clond, 
Versailles or h\ni(aineblea\i ! 

Napoleon. iMj^ht y(\irs aao Ave nui2,ht have been at 
Selionbrnnn. 
When fiiihtinji' \\]i from Ttalv. 

Mural. Stojiped bv tlu^ soldiers' bniibear — armis- 
tice ! 

Napoleon. 'Twert^ b(>fter so; we eonhl afford to 
wait : 
Yon were not \hcn a Prince, nor "svas T then 
An Kmperor. Pe marslnil of the palace; 
Station yonr ji'mirds, and carefnlly! 

^fural. Yes, Sire. [ "^^^KAT goes out. 

Napoleon. Kng'ene, yonr hitters and dispatches! Go 
And see tlie imperial chandlers. 

Eugene. Yes, Sire. 

[Eugene goes out. Xapoi.eon ivalks ahouf medi- 



ACT SE(;OND 31 

tatively with his hands behind h.is back, as 
was his wonl. The shades uf evening are 
coming on and presenlli/ I he moon comes up. 
Napoleon. And this is Scliuiibrunn ! 'Twus two 
weeks ago 
The Sun of Austerlitz dispelled the clouds 
That nightmare-like had veiled the face; of Europe. 
That sun! ft may he 'twill onlshirK! Pharsalia! 
Less than a month ago we were at Ulm ; 
Two moons have dawned since, camj)ing at Tjoulogne, 
We cast our greedy eyes on P]ngland's cliffs, 
Waiting for Villeneuve to hoodwink Nelson. 
"J'hat gr(^yh<Min(l of llie sea had eagle eyes! 
Fortnne has taken mighty strides since then. 
The light falls softly on these marble halls; 
Silence is queen to-night; the nightingale 
Fills these sweet shades with liquid melody. 
My ears have heard too long the cannon's shout. 
The Ojesars' palace! Yonder trails the Danube; 
Vienna's lights paint spectres on the clouds; 
TTere will we rest from our camy)aign of blood, 
Will rest our soldiers' feet and marry Ease; 
Bind up our wounds and sing the Marseillaise. 
Eight years ago, a beardless boy, T thought 
That T should sleep within these royal halls 
When fighting up through Italy. But Fate — 
That cruel shrew ! — willed otherwise. But Time — 
The great avenger ! — stayed the wanton's hand. 

[A noise of rustling leaves in the shrubbery, where 
an Assassin is concealed. 



32 



NAPOLKON 



Whiil's (li!i( { oil. uolliini; hill (he wiii.l :il phiv ! 
riu» l)!ir»|iu' tli.'U. rnrrit's (.'svvsar ninl liis lorhiiu's 
N(H'il \\i\\o iu> fojir of /A'plivrs. TtTius of jtciico 
\V»' iiiusi vlist'uss. DisiMiss ^ No. uol discut^sl 
l>i(l M.irtNlou. Aflu'lji IxMUi;- wdii. 
Minius iiiul !ill TtM-sin ou tlu'ir kuocs. 
hisouss ^ His liMMus \\o juniu^l u\)ou his swoixl I 
\\ i(ii Austria upon her Kikmn a suppliant, 
'V\\o Kussiau I'x-ar has lost his }ip[H>lilt^ 
For war a nil loiiiis (o hilxM-nnto at lioino. 

I //(• sits iloirn on a lu ncli and bcifins lo oprn his 
IvHcrs and disiHilclus : al firs! {fuit'tlif and 
aftt'nrards iriih evident txcittincnt. 
At rrat*ali:;!U' ! 'Two wtvks Miii^ ! lloth b'nMU'h 
Ami Spanish sipunlrons sunk ! A holocausj 1 
Now, l''alo*s \\\ovc cvuc\ than slug's wont io bo 1 
Hut \ illon(Mi\o n»^vtM* was Lord Nol,son's ui:ik*h; 
1 i'jUKhI liini I'oward; bottor oaHoil liini fool; 
\ViM-(> I livoal .lovt' hiinsi^lt", and onmiprosiMit, 
This liad not btuMi. A ,KM\ah ou tho sons! 
Ciroat .lulins w:»s u\oro fortunalo »{ soa. 

I Rcadiiuj further. 
What I Nolson doail v Ami iload upon tlu^ lu^KH 
Tho ii'ro:)(ost oovsair ovor trod a doi'k ! 
liivo n»o a No1svm\ and tho world is u\ino; 
IM v>p«Mi it as lish»M-s opou olams. 
Tho OontiiuMit is now my battlo tioKl 
V\>r l>ritaiu's 1\>rtrosso»l bv lu^r w»hh1ou walls, 
rim. Trafalirar has answortvl. althouirh throo 
And thirty thousand walktnl biM)(\-ith tho voko. 



ACT SKCONI) 



'1 }j';ir ?Xiiii<ii)r'in o'er iii<: <\rii.])<:<\ iti jralaxi';?. 

Of irlory horna^f; iVladri<;HH fjaifJ t,o Mi^:htl — 

I'vo iiiiHwt-.rfjl 'Vrhfulirnr with AiiHt/;rliU, 

Afi'J ';ijt itir; rnajj of Ivurope ifjfo plotji 

I or flowfjfH till I H\i'd])<: thcrn to a kingdorfi. 

I'oll lifi your iit'd\)H.^ y<i old f^j^jfjrraithhnil 

My Hwor'J in no?/ ."/our ';ornpaHM<,*H, 

( liaadiwj further. 
Afj'l ';;iri it, bo Iforsitio N'tl.Hon'H dead? 
Yo wr;ll may wf;^;[;, f^roud hoii.h of Albion! 
S'^;atf/fr hin aHhoH liko the dra^onh' toeth, 
Hut no Hueh hero will Hprin^ up again; 
'Ifjo Marneluke.H \)cS<>r<: the I'yrnrfndn 
I>iibU;d me " The Kin(( of Fire" In fr^-zmio/] f<:'ar; 
When Xelnon'H Hf^irit findn KlyHiurn, 
<';re!;f. Hjjnnihal, Old O'art.hag^e'H " K'tin/ <A Mre," 
Will granp hiw hand in Lrotherly ae^-z^rd ; 
l*'or blood and f/drnnifc, wdTC the air they breathed. 

f licji/Un/j (xgain. 
" Kni/\i)n'\ (-y.pcjtiM c/dch man to do his duty " 
Wan at hin peak and pul-x-d with every W;at; 
" \ow for the I^^;^age or the Abl-/;y " ^)<»w(A 
In miniature in every drop of blood ; 
That royal heart was Alexander's son ; 
.Vor has tiWf'Jii Fortune played him fal.v; at la«t. 
Had Vr'dXK'Ji a Nel-Zin, Kngland had lx;en ourn, 

\ lUAt/Uri/j furlhc.r. 
'S()T h this all her wvi", for Pitt is death -«truek. 
A heart-broke pallor ■w'd-'}thH white his fac*;; 
As Htrateirlst and iumucidT i}i'di calf 



34 NAPOLEON 

Was Chatham's bastard, Albion's blinkiug owl ! 

Why chase me over Europe on lead shoes 

When she is castled by her triple seas ? 

His panting feet may drag a few steps further, 

But when beneath the aisles of Westminster 

He rests his weary heart the Muse will write 

This epitaph : He died at Austerlitz. 

[Reflecting. 

'Tis Albion's gold is my arch-enemy ; 

It stuffs with provender these Austrian maws. 

Ensconced behind her triple seas, this Island 

Kingdom can stand as firm as her Gibraltar; 

A nation truly great must own the waves: — 

Else Rome had never on her rostrum hung 

The beaks of Carthage's buzzards of the sea. 

'Twas Britain's wolves that hunted me from Egypt, 

Shattered my dream of Asiatic empire. 

\_A young Assassin^ ivlio has been concealed in the 
shrubbery , steals out, and standing over him, 
raises a dagger to strike, when a shot from a 
sentry ivounds him in the arm. He is a stu- 
dent, about sixteen years old. The guards 
seize him and are talcing him away when 
Napoleon, ivho has remained unmoved, beck- 
ons them to bring him bach. 

Who are you ? 

Student. A student in the University. 

Napoleon. And live? 

Student. In Vienna. 

Napoleon. Why did you seek to kill me ? 



ACT SECOND 35 

Student. You have destroyed mj coiintrj. 

Napoieori. Your Emperor made war on France. 

Student. Mj Emperor is a thing of paste and 
patches. 
You plaj this game of war with loaded dice. 

Napoleon. Did you expect to die for this ? 

Student. Life has few charms for him who has no 
country. 

Napoleon. If I should pardon you ? 

Student. I'd bide my time and seek another chance. 

Napoleon. Take him away ! 

[The soldiers take him out. 

Napoleon. Where were you ? [To the Sentinel. 

Sentinel. Behind that tree, Sire. 

Napoleon. Where was the boy concealed ? 

Sentinel. In yonder shrubbery. 

Napoleon. You saw him first ? 

Sentinel. Just as he raised his knife above my Em- 
peror. 

Napoleon. The fate of Kings ! We stand upon our 
graves. 
'Twas Csesar's fate ! To-day admiring eyes 
And millions kneel and kiss our purple robes ; 
To-morrow some one worth a pigeon's price 
Steals on us as a leopard on his prey, 
And all those millions toss their caps in air. 
'Tis those who live within the hearts of men, 
Like Washington, whose palls are drenched with tears. 
What is your regiment ? [To the Sentinel. 

Sentinel. The Twenty-fifth Hussars. 



36 NAPOLEON 

Napoleon. It was! Not is! You're in tho Impe- 
rial (^iiiard, 
The Guard that ditvs hut no'cr surrenders! 

IHc turns to walk away as the curtain falls. 

Scene II 

Mahin<j 7Vr/H.s of Peace 

Same scenery. Afternoon of satne day. Napoleon 
and Metternich in conference. 

Napoleon. Tliis coalition was the fourtli has sliad- 
owed 
France, hanging a hove her like some fearful dragon 
Spouting out flaunts and smoke and desolation. 
Metternich. The fourth? 
Napoleon-. Yes, since the lleign of Terror governed 

France. 
Metlernieh. Yes, 'twas the fourth. 
Napoleon. How many more will that old Ilarpy, 
England, 
Foment against me, think you ? 
Metternich. This is her last. 

Napoleon-. What guarantees can Austria give 
France 
That, when our conquering legions cross the Txhine, 
Our g\ins are muzzled and our hanners furled, 
She will not hreed some other pestilence i 
Metternich. The sacred promise of a King. 



ACT SECOND 37 

Napoleon. A gambler's promise is a mockery! 
Metternich. The Revolution kilWl your faith in 
Kings. 
It was America distilled that poison. 

Napoleon. Distilled besides this potent medicine: 
That Hapsburgs, Hohenzollems, Romanoffs, 
Love best themselves. 

Metternich. Our people have been vassals ; now are 

subjects. 
Napoleon. The Var-sal Age, that age of abject peo- 
ples, 
Is relict of decedent Barbarism ; 
Xow Law and Liberty are children's playthings. 

Metternich. Yes, since those Pilgrim Fathers held 
the plow 
And Frenchmen sowed the seed they fostered. 

Napoleon. But now for guarantees! The crown 
And sword of Charlemagne must be surrendered. 
Metternich. They're now but baubles and Museum 

curios. 
Napoleon. That ermine of the Holy Roman Empire 
Xow France must wear. 

Metternich. A sceptre, stript of lightning, is a bar- 
ren twig; 
Ev'n Jove, without his thvmderbolts, was scorned. 

Napoleon. It follows as effect must follow cause. 
There is no German Emperor now, 
Only an Austrian King. 

Metternich. Custom has made the Imperial title 
dear 



38 NAPOLEON 

To us, but we must bend before your will. 

Napoleon. A Germany united is a menace. 
France needs some fringing zone of neutral land 
Along the Rhine. If war comes unawares 
'Twill save her from invasion's avalanche. 

Metternich. But make those German liefs a Celtic 
province. . . . 

Napoleon. By making a Confederacy of the Rhine 
Along our eastern border. 

Metternich. Some provinces are Prussia's; she's 
been neutral. 
Will she consent to give them up ? 

Napoleon. Will she ? She shall ! Her trembling 
envoy's here, 
Craning his neck to hear what we demand. 

Metternich. And should my King grant your de- 
mands, will then 
You all go piping back to France ? 

Napoleon. I want my brother Joseph recognized 
As King of Naples ; Louis wear the crown 
Of Belgium ; Murat must be Grand-Duke. 

Metternich. Then Bonapartes will govern half of 
Europe. 

Napoleon. And why not Bonapartes as well as Haps- 
burgs ? 
What Hapsburg won by royal marriages 
And brigandage, the Bonapartes have won 
By genius shown in war. You feed upon 
Your forebears' spoils and boast your pedigrees; 
The Bonapartes are their own ancestors 1 



ACT SECOND 39 

Metternich. {With a sigh.) Their star of destiny 
now kings the skies. [Handing him the protocol. 
Napoleon. Here is the protocol ! An armistice 
Exists. But three great armies — chew that cud ! — 
Gaze down the muzzles of their guns. 

Metternich. I will present the conqueror's terms of 
peace 
To Austria and the Russian Czar, and bring 
Back their response. 

Napoleon. 'Twere gracious to return it ere 'twere 

night. 
Metternich. By night ? The vulture hungers for 

his prey ! 
Napoleon. But he has picked stale carcasses be- 
fore. 

[Metternich hows and retires. A71 Orderly en- 
ters. 
Orderly. The Envoy of Prussia waits your sov- 
ereign pleasure. 
Napoleon. His pleasure now is mine. 

[Count Haitgwitz enters. 
Napoleon. Dear Count, I held you off at Austerlitz 
That you might hear its battle-thunders wake 
A continent from lethargy and change 
The face of Europe, tearing down the walls 
Of Charlemagne. You came to me with threats 
Of war. I had no leisure for you then. 
The sun of Austerlitz has cleared the sky ; 
Those buzzards threatened me have taken wing; \ 

I now expect you bring the dove of peace. 



40 NATOLKON 

lliJiiijU'ilz. ^ (>s. rnissi.'i riMiu's willi siuiU's, jiml 
not with t'nnv us. 
Tilt* t'oviM- in litM' \<Mns hiis nuioliHl 
And lu'nls ni> (li'jislii" nu^lii*iiu's. 'V\\c h;nnl 
That Austria hoM mU is lunv 
A shrivolUni skoh'tini, and I'rnsvsia l>rini:;s 
An i^livo branoh, and no( a swiM-d. | I'lui/ (-tnhnu't'. 

AtipoU'on. 'V\\c ttMMus wliii'h 1 dtMuand. von know i 
JltUitjU'if:. l''iill woU. And o({ \\\c^c hoiw^ o\' con 
trovtM'sv 
llav»> Ih\mi u'row lod ov(M- in our I'haiu'olliMMtvs. 
A<»/)(>/('()». {^tit'dditKj the term-s of the treat t/ which 
Tai I KVK.VM> has st'nt him.) Your jnuts aro 
somUmI 'gain-'^t iMiglaiid's oon\nuM-i't\ 

I 11 Ai i;wi r.', osstnfs. 
In wars, otTonsivo and lirtiMisivr, Prussia 
Will Iv tho allv t^f Kraui'o. | //(• dsscnts. 

Uoth riovos and Nouohatol Indoni;- to Kram-o. 

[ llr (U'iiit'niii. 
And Hanovor — tho rradlo of tho linolphs ; 
AT\d lovod as lM\>;land's roval hon\o ! — is vours. 
A bittor oud tor I'^njiiish jaws to ohow I 

IhiUijwHe. You drivo tho kuit\^ uv> noar tho hoart, 

1 foar. 
Napoleon. Alavbo. Tlio lion is tho Ivai^lo's t\v ; 
Srtfo in his island don. wo aro his prov ; 
Ho must Iv pijji^Hi. 

llainjtrit:. W"\\\ ho not turn and rouvl von ? 
Napoleon, llo's always nMuliui^ns. Ho always will. 
t^nglaud is onvious it" I stn^ke a cat I 



AC']' SKCOXD 41 

If fhjSH \mti;f ()vcr \/)U'\<)f\ 'fJK my fault! 
Lik*- .ioHfiua, 1 MfJ t.ho «ijn Htarid «till ! 
Who fjan no (;Uf:ffi'i';H lian liv<-d in vain. 

I/av/jvnlz. Is Fortune not a fickU^ f\n(7(ji, i\\\'A 
f{\}ft('.n 
Yo\i court? A fairy grniling at thr? Hunmtf 
JiUt whr-rj tho dawn light/H up thf? ftuHUtrn hilJH 
V'ornitin^^ h«^;r 8pit^; upon hor f-/,nr\/i(-rii'i 
A gay (•/><\\i<i\.\p.y 'ti» Haid ! 

NapoUion. TI«';r h«^;art. haK Win a« c^;n«tant an a Htar! 
Ilav/pmtz. liut Fortune, v/hen p,hc HonH the eanque 
of War, 
Ixjvoh hx«t thoHf; tirm'iCH \)(><)m the heavient artJllery, 
N ajioU'jm. And th^^i have U^;n and nhall Fk; oufhI 
flav/iw'dz. Another eoalition you've destroyed, 
f'^ut will not Fngland brew a fifth ^ 

N ajK )[(',( m. Ah Hure a« de«tiny! Another year 
Will find her fingers weaving prolden webn 
To eat/rh thes^; p'^K^r and pfjnny-hunting KingK. 
f'he \>roUK'/>[ ! I Ifandiruj hirn, (he Irenty. 

IIay/jv)Uz. Your term« are hands of at/;el, though 
hands are filovoA 
With gilken gauntlets. 

f rA-et/ ««iyn feoiffe copies. Napolbo.v Jw/n/h ooa to 
IfAUowr/z, 7/;Ao ^>07y;« an// reliren. 

\/)rderly enter h. 
Orderly. Prince Mctt/jmieh, 
Napoleon. ]j-x him anUtr. 

f \f KTTKri.vfCH eoroAH in. 
Mettemich. Here is the prot/K-/jl. IV>th f>nj[>erorft 



42 NAPOLEON 

Have signed and sealed it with their signet-rings. 

Napoleon. The clouds have fled ! All Europe is at 
peace ! 

[Metternich goes out. 
That Devil, War, now rests his groaning wheels. 
No longer will the Furies drive his car ; 
Grim Famine rides, thin, gaunt, cadaverous, 
And Pestilence, all leprous, spotted, pock-marked, — 
Those triplets spewed from out the mouth of Hell 
K^ow Peace and Plenty, Joy shall mount the car 
And deck it with green garlands, sheaves of grain. 
And scatter blessings o'er a smiling land. 

[/?ere prome^iaders, glimpses of whom have been 
occasionally caught as they walked in the gar 
den, come in. A waltz is struck up by musi- 
cians luho are hidden in the shrubbery, and 
a ivaltz is danced by French, Austrian and 
Russian officers with ladies dressed in the cos- 
tume of the Empire. Eugene and Marie 
Louise, now a girl of sixteen, and afterwards 
Napoleon's Empress, lead the waltz. After 
it begins Napoleon goes out. ^ 
Marie Louise. How Joy and Merriment abound 
When War's alarms no longer sound. . . . 

Eugene. And Peace climbs up to Heavenly Heights 
Of pure and innocent delights. . . . 

Marie Louise. And Care no longer loads our feet; 
And Pleasure takes the Muse's seat. . . . 

Eugene. And Love, the charm of every home. 
Greets man and maid where'er they roam. . . . 



ACT SECOND 43 

Marie Louise. And Furies hie away the sprites 
Onoe haunted tired soldiers' nights. . . . 

Eugene. And dry the weeping maiden's eyes 
And soothe her heartaches, still her sighs ! 

Marie Louise. Is not the waltz a charming dance ? 

Eugene. Yes ; we must take its charms to France ! 

Marie Louise. A gipsy gave it to Brussels 
Some months ago, my Fairy tells, 
And we all love its mystic spells 
As lovers love their wedding-bells ! 

Eugene. From here to Paris, it must go 
To lure Terpsichore's light toe 
And wake the sleeping Allegro; 
Make wine and mirth and music flow. 

Marie Louise. When go you home? jSTot soon, I 
hope! 

Eugene. I fear another moon will find us hence. 

Maine Louise. Vienna has so many charms when 
Peace 
Can shower her sunshine on our lovely streets. 

Eugene. I will return so gladly when I can: 
This life of camps and barracks has few joys 
For one who hates dull drills and stale parades. 
It has no joys can match the sweet delights 
Have made the air of Schonbrunn musical : — 
Sweet hours amid her bowers and sparkling springs, 
Her velvet terraces and sylvan shades ; 
Elixir-drinking from each fleeting breeze 
And weaving garlands for her Maiden-Queen. 



44 NAPOLEON 

ACT III 
Scene I 

A pavilion on the shores of the Baltic near Tilsit. The 
Czar awaiting Napoleon. 

The compact with Russia, made in 1801, after the hat- 
ties of Jena and Friedland. 

Czar. Routed at Friedland ! Now Invasion threat- 
ens; 
And Moscow's breast is bare to ravishers. 
Those French are fiends ! It was Marengo's day ; 
Its memories gave them hearts of fire: 
Nothing can stay the genius of Napoleon ; 
'Tis Hannibal again, or Scipio come 
To earth to strangle us with tiger claws, 
And turn the Slav to vassal of the Celt. 
Invincible ! We are but shuttlecocks, 
And he our battledore ; the Gorgon's toy ! 
He never had to learn war's secrets. No ! 
They were his mother's milk ; the Genie's gift. 
He scarce had donned his toga ere he played 
With Austria, as 'twere some game of chess; 
At thirty-six won Austerlitz, two years 
Ago. Now Jena, Eylau, Friedland make 
Prussia his serf, a cringing mendicant. 
Begging for life, her King a fugitive. 
Shall he be scourged like Adam from his realm? 



ACT THIRD 45 

And feed on husks ? And haunt the barren moors 

Of Brandenburg ? A King without a crown ? 

Ah, War, Kings' game ! 'Tis Kings of men, not Kings 

Of pulp, should play. Fools ! Fools we Emperors were, 

Deluded by the golden calf ! The pelf 

Of England led us into this black bog. 

The Romanoff must sue for peace and pay 

The price this Jew demands, or stake his crown! 

Another Attila and Scourge of Man ! 

Berlin threw wide her gates with loud acclaims ; 

And now he knocks at Russia's western portal 

And will not be gainsayed. 'Tis peace, the peace 

The beggar craves ; this is a Czar's reward 

For yielding to the tempter's siren voice. 

And madly dreaming that old Ocean's tide 

Could be swept back with brooms. 

[A boat approaches manned hy French soldiers and 
with the tricolor at its stern, from which 
Napoleon alights. A single French, a single 
Russian sentinel is put on guard at the tent 
to keep any one from overhearing the conver- 
sation. 

Welcome, Sire ! Thrice welcome ! 

'Tis not the spacious palace where the Czar 

Of Russia should receive the Emperor 

Of France. 

Napoleon. Our trysting-place is little moment! 
Where 

The Eastern Emperor receives his guests, 

E'en though a raft afloat upon the Niemen, 



46 NAPOLEON 

Is like MacGregor's scat and Scotland's throne. 

Czar. The purpose of our meeting- sanctities it. 

Napoh'Ofu Then clasp we regal hands of friendship, 
strike 
A tirui alliance 'gainst a common foe. 

Czar. 1 hate those English as do you. 

Napoleon. Then peace has been concluded! 

[They embrace. 
Berlin 'twas fulminated my decree 
And sealed her ports against the world and locked 
Her ships within their dens to rage and rot ; 
Whate'er her sea-wolves bear is contraband, 
The prey of ]urates and the spoil of war. 

Czar. This policy of yoiirs has my ukase! 
But she blockades your ]xn-ts. 

NapoJcoii. My Roland for her Oliver decrees 
Starvation's punishment for every hand 
Is soiled with English merchandise. 

Czar. Can paper precepts win that war? 

Napoleon. All Europe's sea-dog-s, too, must lend a 
hand 
And strangle this Chimera, with the rope 
Of coalition which she twists so well. 

Czar. Will all the Continental sovereigns help us ? 

NapoIeo)i. Yes, five are sure. Our swords we'll 
hang aloft, 
Which, like that cross of Charlemagne blazoned 
Across the sky, will terrify, if statecraft 
Avail us not. 

Czar. And will not Albion relent, throw^ up 



ACT THIRD 47 

The spoiigo, give uj) the fight ? . . . 

Napoleon. Nothing will turn the edge of her fierce 
|)urj)OHe: 
The Jiiou, driven to hay, has ten tinies more 
Of courage. 

Czar. Not sue for peace ? 

Napoleon. Twice have I offered it in vain. 

Czar. Twice offered it ? 

Napoleon. Twice have I written to King George; 
twice asked 
That we no longer stem these seas of hlood. 

Czar. And with what answer? 

Napoleon. None. 

Czar. None ? 

Napoleon. None ! 

Czar. But gentle Courtesy decreed some answer! 

Napoleon. Aye ! So I thonght ; hut lived to learn 
a Brunswick 
Owes no such cousinship to Bonapartes; 
A Secretary sent a Spartan snarl, 
No, flung dejiial straight at Talleyrand. 

Czar. Madmen would show more wit; such imhe- 
ciles 
Are worse than mad; they're Wisdom's criminals! 
What was your answer? 

Napoleon. How could I answer such contempt ? 

Czar. One way, one only. 

Napoleon. And this I did. Marengo answered one; 
The other drank the gall of Austerlitz. 

Czar. 'Twas thunder to a baby's rattle! 



48 NAl'OLKON 

.\ apolvon, riuM'o is no nuilii't* in niv t'nnnon's voico ; 
No nuilii't^ in uiv st!»(»H'r;ilt sni'h ns Iniwils 
Anil favvu-ittV'^ \\:\\c nsv^l to primo llu>ir nuns. 
Wo Kiu<;s who lioar :in oinpiio on onr bnoks 
I.ivo in !Ui :iir without tho tiiint o( tnalioo. 
A Ciixorito's rovoui^o is liko \\\c hroath 
Thnt tlltors throns-Ji ;» Lilliputian':^ mind. 
On w ith (ho troatv I rarlanovs to ilav 
Must vloal with Trussia. Shall sho havo a Kini;:, 
Ov shall luM- King; bo Lord of nraiulouburii'. 
Auvl Uvir a sooptro strict o\' sovoiviii'uty { 

Czar. Morov's tlu> t'airost ohiKl ot" Statoorafl. Vos, 
"Pis Wisdom's t'osttM* i-hihl ; it binds with oords 
0( silk; it hoals War's wounds; 'lis sootliiui:; balm 
For fostorinjv Prido; it niaki^s a t*o(> a t'riotul ; 
'Twas tho briiiht j(>wi>l in ^ri^at r:rsar's orown. 
This King was \ny ally, an^l 1 would woU 
Hospoak your t*a\or; \'ov. whon Llni's liroat oartlniuako 
Shook both onr thronos. to Krodorii'k's tomb, 
Lod by swoot Prussia's boautt\nis Qiu>ou. wo wont ; 
Ami ihoro by Midniu,ht's tliokoriniv ti^roh wo sworo. 
Ami vM» tho sword of Loutlion's oouquon.u', 
To Invast top>tluM- your l-Av-alibar. 
'I'ho storms havo wrookod him on a barron ooast. 
His barv]uo a }u-oy to Folly's ra<iin«r soa. 
And. worso than (hat. Kolvllion's nuitiny. 
Ho gtMiorous and lot him koop his orowu ! 
His sivptro is at Ivst a thittorine: tihxL 

A"(i/'o/<OM. {After metlitntion.) Your wish shall bo 
mv law I Hut toll mo whv 



ACT TffrRD 49 



To \''r(:<\(:n('k'A t,oinl>. II<-- ■.'/hh no oracU; ; 
A koKJjf-r, not a Hago ; urxJ jn;i'J for farn';. 
I If hnf n;f>ijilf, wliat Folly ha'J torn down, 
l>r-.-if.roy(;<| a Htato that \i(: might rccrcixUi it. 
Who ra//!H to rebuild Ih WiH'Jorn'H baHtarfl mn. 
'Ill': forifjijc-t-; of groat Ma':<r'Jon <\iHi¥Avt<l 
Ak HfiovvH iif/on PilaluH rnolt in Kurnrncr; 
liut C'y.'Har'H Htood liko nnovvH on KvcrcHt, 
What we have Hai'l hfrf; h;t uh douhhrlook ; 
No ear haw ht'ani it and no tongue can tell ; 
AtkI let a General CongreHH Ui eonvened 
Next year to whieh all Kurope nhall be bid, 
And there v/f'll hiittrf-.-..-; n\> our Hclicina. 

Czar. Agrf;<;d I And let it meet at Erfurt. 

Napoleon. And nov/ f take my leave. .\'o brighter 
day 
Han eve-r dav/ned for lx>th our erripiren. 

f 77t^r// '</;a//r auay arm in arm. 

'I he Jivjjwxn Sentinel. ( Who in to nell hin infor- 
mation to the Enfjlinh Cabinet.) Sot darker day 
for England ! Ere two weekH 
ThiH eornpaet you have made and wftry word 
Xov/ loeked within the ehamlK;rH of my mind 
Shall \j(: unior-ked by Kngland'« golden Key. 

Scene If 
The Uumiliaiion of Prumla 

Similar ncenery. A finhertami k h/rane on the nhore of 
the liaUic at Memel, not far from 7'itffit. The fiifjh- 



50 NAPOLEON 

iiii/ of tlw sea and the iviiul in the phu'-lrccs is occa- 
sionally heard. 'rwilight growimj into evening, 
irhen eandles are ligJiled. A slorni eonies up towards 
the end of the scene, with /lasJies of lightning. 
QuEKN Louise, a beautiful woman, in ill health, about 
thirty-fire years old, sits at a table with her needle- 
work 01 reading to Prinok Wii-ltam, a boy eleven 
years old. who afterwards becomes the first German 
h'mperor: and Fritz, the Crown Prince, two years 
older, is standing at a roiigh pine desk studying 
Civsar's Commentaries. A fire is glimmering, and 
a window at the back of the stage looks oat on the sea. 



Fritz. Please, mother, where did C\vsar build his 
bridi!;e 
Across the Rhine 'i 

Queen Louise. At Bonn. 

Fritz. How witle there is the Tvhiue? 

Queen Louise. A hundred yards, perhaps. 

Fritz. And is the current, swift i 

Queen Louise. 'Ti^ deep and strong. 

Fritz. And Caesar says it is our largest river. 

Quec)} Louise. Tt is, my dear. It rises in the Alps 
And empties in the Xorthern Sea. 

Fritz. And 'tis our western boundary? 

Queen. Louise, Yes, once it was; but is no longer. 

Fritz. And is it beautiful ? 

Queen Louise. A dream of beauty. Europe has no 
river. 



ACT THIJiJ) 



Not Volga, nor tlio Soino, no, nor the i'<) 
Can match our German Rhine. From Bingen 
To Cohlenz its banks are mountains, castle-crowned, 
And rich in nieniorifi« and ancient legends; 
'Twas Caesar's highway to the sea. 

Fritz. And where is EhrenVjreitstein ? 

Queen Louise. Coblenz. 'Tis where the Mosel joins 
the Rhine. 

Fritz. This Cajsar calls impregnable. 'Tis here 
So many Germans — half a million, so 
He says — were killed. Why, mother, is it some one 
Is always killing Germans? 

Queen Louise. Oh ! Ca^jsar was a horrid butcher. 

Prince William. Come, mother, read of Uncle 
Fre<lerick 
Some more, and how he won at Rosbach. 

Queen Louise. Yes, yes, my boy, 

Fritz. Did Cajsar, mother, always tell the truth? 

Queen Louise. Historians accept his talas as true. 

Fritz. I don't like war. 

Queen Louise. Xo, dear, it is the curse of all the 
Ages; 
The fnielfst of tyrants have been warriors. 
Th^y kill tlie fathers, break the mothers' hearts. 

Fritz. I'll never be a soldier, then, but give 
My people all the liberties they need ; 
A Constitution if they want it. 

Prince William. But I shall be a soldier; try to 
gain 
From France the land she's ro})bed us of I 



52 NAPOLEON 



Queen Louise. Hush! Hush, n\_v tlonr, for spies 

are everywhere. 
Fritz. Here in this Meiuel forest on the Baltic, 
Among these fishermen and himberraen, 
Are we not safe ? 

Queen Louise. 1 hope we nve. 

Frinee Wit Ham. I'd rather stayed at Potsdam. 
'* Nap " with all 
His bluster does not frighten me. 

[J k'noek' at the door and a fisherman hrincjs in 
an armful of irood and fi.ves the fire. 
Queen Louise. Are uianv soldiers here ? 
Fisherman. Stragglers from Frledland, tramping 
back 
To Petersburg, and aninuiiiitiou-carts 
And baggage trains returning home. 
A Pussian man-of-war has anchored oiT 
The shore just now. 

Queen Louise. Is it from Petersbnrg? 
Fisherman. Yes. When T saw it doubling round 
the point 
It seemed from there. 

\Loohing out of window. 
One of the boats is heading towards this shore 
With Pussian otVicers aboard. 

Queen Louise. How far is Tilsit? 
Fisherman. Some fifty miles. 

[He opens the door to go out : turns hael'. 
The officers are coming here. 

[Kfvoclc at door. 



ACT THIRD 53 

Queen Louise. Go to the door, Fritz. 

[ Fritz opens the door and an officer enters in a 
Russian uniform. 
Officer. The Czar of Russia presents his compli- 
ments to 
Queen Louise of Prussia, and waits her pleasure. 

Queen Louise. The Queen of Prussia v/aits his 
pleasure. 

[Officer goes out. The Czar enters; salutes the 
Queen, kissing her hand, and embraces the 
children. 
Queen Louise. A cordial welcome to your Maj- 
esty ! 
I would I could receive an Emperor 
Beneath a roof more suitable. 

Czar. Where Prussia's Queen holds court, that is 
A palace always. 

Queen Louise. Your health? How has it borne 

this hard campaign? 
Czar. Its toils have been the toils of Hercules, 
Its horrors, disappointments were Ulysses'. 

Queen Louise. Friedland has shipwrecked all the 
hope we had 
When we stood round jrreat Frederick's tomb. 

Czar. Alas ! Now Hope is like the Xorthern Star, 

gone out ! 
Queen Louise. Xapoleon is invincible. 
Czar. And we must bow our heads to his hard 

terms. 
Queen Louise. What are his terms ? 



64 NAPOLEON 

Czar. \ou\v rohiiul lost ; vour houiidarv iiiiist ho 
The Elhe. 

Queen Louise. Sand-dunes niid hogs and harren 
moors are all 
That then remains to Prnssia ! 

Czar. Vonr army nmst he small and powm'less, 
And yon must join the league 'gainst England; 
Mnst pay, besides, a rieh indemnity. 

Queen Ijoulse. AdvcM'sity has tost ns on her horns! 
Our peasants now ean scarcely s(]uee/e their hread 
From out the sand they sow, much less 
Can shoulder an indemnity. 

Czar. 'Tis peace at any price, and this I tohl the 
King ; 
He sends you this. [Handing a Idler, irhieh she reads. 

Queen Louise. Tie sends for me to come and see 
Na[>oleon, 
To try if Magdeburg caiuiot he saved; 
This for a cradle for our children. 

Czar. And at your audiiMu-e remember tliis: 
Napoleon's heart is tlesh and hlood ; at times 
Tears are no strangers to his cheeks. Ambition 
Is the Chimera rules his days and nights; 
His blood is Southern and like Southern wines, 
'Tis red \Yith sunshine and aglow with lire; 
His eyes are blu(\ hair brown, and face is ruddy. 
But Talleyrand is steel. Beware of him! 
Forget not you are at the knees of Genius. 

Queen Louise. How have we fallen from the dizzy 
height 



ACT THIRD 



Of former glories to grovel in this mire! 

A leafless oak, and prone ! A scorn and byword ! 

Pity and contempt, that legacy of woe, 

Is all our chihiren can inherit. 

Czar. Though sad your lot, it might be worse; your 
crown 
Is left. This boon I begged. 'Tis better far 
Than simple Duke of l^randenburg. 

Queen Louise. And had it come to that? 

Czar. I fear it had. 'Twere charity to think so. 
The Berlinese Xapoleon's progress strewed 
With flowers; hosannas greeted him whene'er 
They saw him at your palace windows. 

Queen Louise. Yet once they loved their King! 

Czar. And they do now ; 'tis but a fleeting fancy ; 
They greet the rising, scorn the setting sun; 
Hopes of a Constitution gleam, 'tis said, 
Before their eyes. 

Fritz. And they should have one, mother, were I 
King. 

Qu£en Louise. And so your father thinks, my son. 
I've heard 
Him say the same a dozen times. 

Czar. But these affairs of state have serious import ; 
The weeds of Revolution — Columbia's gift 
To Europe — these may grow so tall and rank 
As choke the seeds of royalty. Our thrones 
Are standing on a crumbling precipice; 
Unless we guy them well with ropes, support 
Their fainting sides with hearts of oak, I fear 



56 NAPOLEON 

We fall in that abyss of Anarchy. 

I Lightning occasionally. 
Queen Louise. Another kingdom gone ! All swal- 
hnvetl uj) 
In one remorseless maw ! One man alone 
Owns all the land from Elbe to far Gibraltar. 
When on our journey here we stopped to rest 
Our jaded horses at a roadside inn, 
My Willie here went to the fields and picked 
Some flowers. " You wear no jewels now ; wear these," 
He said. 1 made a corn-bloom wreath of them 
And placed it on his head, and said I feared 
'Twas all the crown he'd ever wear. 
Czar. I hope no echo of what-is-to-be ! 
Prince ^Vi^iam. But, mother dear, that very night 
I had a dream, 
That very night you uuide the cm-u-bloom wreath. 
Queen Louise. And still remember it ? 
Trince William. Indeed I do I And may I tell it 

you ? 
Queen Louise. Your Majesty, and may he tell his 
dream ? 
'Twill comfort him, may comfort all of us. 

Czar. Yes, certainly. Come sit here on my knee, 
My boy, and tell it us. 

[Prince William goes and stands beside the 
Czar. 
Prince }yiUiani. That night, while lying in my 
bed asleep, 
Or half-asleep, T saw a gray-haired man, — 



ACT THIRD 57 

He looked like ine, as I might look grown old, — 

In some great hall where all the walls were mirrors. 

This gray-haired man stood on a sort of dais, — 

'Tuas not in Prussia, but some foreign land ! — 

The hall was full of soldiers, helmeted; 

Thej looked like soldiers of our Fatherland ; 

And at the word — the words I heard were German — 

They raised their gleaming swords high, overhead, 

And swore that he should be their Emperor 

And they would vaunt his title 'gainst the world. 

Two men, — they stood in front, — it seemed to me, 

Were leaders of the band ; and one of them 

Was thin and pale and eagle-beaked, a soldier. 

The other was a giant, mountain-browed ; 

A man of blood and iron ; eyes like burning coals 

Which shoot forth flames and scorch his enemies; 

He looked the picture of Olympian Jove ; 

'TM-as he who called the old man. Emperor. 

Three times they cheered, Hoch ! Hoch ! Hoch ! 

[/I long silence enswes, during vjhich the Queen 
calls Willie to her side and kisses and fondles 
him. 
Queen Louise. Our dreams are fictions Sleepy 

Fancy weaves. 
Czar. Sometimes our dreams cast shadows on be- 
fore. 
In Holy Writ God spake through Samuel 
And told the child that Eli's sons should die. 

[Thunder and lightning. An Officer knocks and 
enters. 



58 NAPOLEON 

Officer. Your Majesty, a storm is brewing; the sea 
Ix)oks angrv, and the C^iptaiii thinks the ship 
Too near tlie shore. 

Czar. Then I had better go at once. 1 hope 
Yonr Majesty will pardon me for bringing 
Cassandra's face with nie. 

Queen Louise. Cassandra's heart was hea\^, and 
she spoke 
Her sorrow with sweet sympathy. 

Czar. The wish for bettcr-days-to-comc I leave 
With you. Farewell ! 

[Kisses her hand and kisses the children and goes 
out. The Queen goes to the irindow and 
looks out. 
Queen Louise. The clouds hang heavy and the sea 
is beaten 
To whirlpools. 

[She resumes her seat at the table and calls her 
children to her, embraces them, stroking their 
heads, apparenflif dejected. 
Night spreads her raven wings ! My heart is broke ! 
Dear Prussia is Pompeii ! Hopes are ashes ! 
The sun will never shine again Avithin my heart! 
I am not Avell, my boys. Ere long your mother 
Will lav her heart in sweet Charlottenburg. 
I was not made to act Theresa's part ; 
Not all are Poman n\atrons ; some are flowers 
That bloom in sunsliine, wither in the shade. 
Come close, my boys ! My Eritz, my Willie, hear 
A dying mother's words and treasure them. 



ACT THIRD 59 

To Prussia and lier army and her glory 
Devote yourselves. Your lives belong to her. 
A phantom now ; but phantom still has breath. 
Build up her army; fill her treasury. 
It may be you can conquer back from France 
The darkened glories of your ancestors. 
Weep for your Fatherland ! Weep not for me ! 
Be men ! Be Kings ! Restore the Fatherland ! 

[She falls in a swoon and the boys kneel down 
beside her. 

Scene III 

The Congress of Erfurt 

Time, October, 1S08. Place, the nave of the Cathedral 
at Erfurt. A dais stands at the angle of the nave 
and transept, with seats set for Xapoleoin^ and Alex- 
ander. The walls are hung ivlth tapestries ; every- 
thing arranged for a royal pageant. Talleyrand 
and Xey come on the stage. The Cathedral is dark- 
ened and brilliantly lighted to show off the gorgeous 
costumes. Perhaps the March from " Tannhiiuser " 
could be used when the procession comes in, although 
not yet written. 

Talleyrand. This day is big with fate and circum- 
stance 
For France. Here all of Germany has come 
To seal the peace of Tilsit ; prove their faith. 



60 NAPOLEON 

And loyalty. And liussia meets us here 
In conference, and ratifies her new-born 
Alliance. Sovereign Princes of the Rhine, 
The Prince of Prussia and four reigning Kings, 
Bavaria and Phine-swept Wiirtemberg, 
And Saxony and newly crowned Westphalia, 
Grand Dukes galore, and Princes by the score. 
And marshals, generals, and counts and statesmen, 
All these, with all the pageantry their courts 
Can boast, have held for clays high carnival, 
l^ow Erfurt rivals Fontainebleau in the years 
When our gay monarch, Francis, made the welkin 
Ring with the pomp and glory of fair dames 
And gorgeous cavaliers. 

Ney. Soon shall the clock ring out the joyous hour 
When this cathedral, built for prayers and worship. 
Casts ofF the habiliments of sanctity, 
And dons the coronation robes. 

Talleyrand. As mayor of the palace, chamberlain. 
To-day all ceremonies wait your bidding. 
Is all prepared ? Knows every one his entrances 
And station ? 

Ney. As time permitted. Chance and every man's 
Good taste and sense of fitness, here as elsewhere. 
Must govern circumstance. 

Talleyrand. Now War lays off the helmet and 
cuirass. 
And puts on ermine and the robes of state ; 
The courtier dons his plumage, smiles and bows, 
And makes the Court of Love his battle-field : 



ACT THIRD 61 

The maiden courtesies, and from her glancing 
Eyes shoots her arrows, sharper, deadlier, 
Than even merry Robin Hood could throw. 

Ney. You've had your conquests in the Court of 
Love, 
I hear it said in Paris. 

Talleyrand. Few victories, but many agonies ! 
Ney. Diplomacy knows subtile flatteries 
And courtly graces soldiers never know. 

Talleyrand. Bludgeons for heads ! Rapiers for 
hearts ! Blunt words 
And catapults are kin. But gentle manners, 
Sweet words and grace in saying them, and tact 
In choosing, are the honeys of Hyrnettus. 

[The Cathedral clock strikes ten. 
Ney. The clock strikes ten. Here come our first 
arrivals. 

[The Usher comes forward. 
Usher. (Announces.) The Marshals of France. 
[Several Marshals of France come from the tran- 
septs, dressed in the costumes of the Empire, 
and arrange themselves around the Imll, hut 
the Marshals who are the " Pillars of the 
Throne" take their places at the foot of the 
dais. 
The Princes of the Confederation of the Rhine. 
The Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar. 

[Goethe, the German poet, who ivas the Prime 
Minister of the Grand Duke for forty years, 
follows the Grand Duke. 



62 NAPOLEON 

JSiCy. {To Tai,i,kykano.) Who is that who looks 

some drec'iau god ^ 
TaUeyiand. Ooetho, the }hh>1 ! Tho Duke's Prime 

Minister. 
Ney. 'Twas he wrote " Faust " l 
Talleyrand. Ami mauv plays and books. 
Nvy. If met bv ehance at night beneath a bridge, 
While sivkiug shelter from a storui, 1 well had 

known 
That man was one of Nature's noblemen. 

Talliyrand. Ciod never puts a [>igmy mind in sueh 
a mould. 
1 must go speak with him. 

[Talleyrand ()oes up to Goktuk and cnffrs into 
cont't'i'safion with him. 
Usher. {Announces.) The Ouke of Hesse- Darm- 
stadt. 
The Duke of Saxe-Gotha. 
The Duke of Oldenburg. 
The Duke of Meekleuburg-Strelitz. 
The Duke of ]\reeklenburg-Sehwerin. 
The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Baden. 
Joseph Bonaparte, King of Wiirtemberg. 
Ludwig, King of Bavaria. 
Augiistus, King of Saxony and Poland. 
Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia. 
William, Prinee of Prussia. 

Ney. {To Tai,t.eykaxi>, who has returned to the 
front of the stage.) Who are those with Prussia ? 
Tallei/rand. The Barons von Humboldt. 



ACT THIRD 03 

Usher. {Announces.) The Czar of all tho Kiissia.s. 
[Ai/EXANDKR lakes his place on ihe dais. 
Napoleon, Emperor of P'rance and King of Italy. 

[Napoleon enlers and ascends Ihe dais. After 
greeliwj A lexander and bowing to the assem- 
bled Kings, l^rlnces and the rest, both take 
their seats on the dais, and the Marshals of 
France, as " Pillars of the 7'hrone," gather 
about it. 
Napoleon. Your Majesties, Grand Dukes and au- 
^ist, Prlnees : 
When France and Russia made at Tilsit terms 
Of peace, they then agreed to meet thereafter 
And ratify our treaty and alliance, 
And Prussia then joined hands with them in friendship. 
The Eastr;rn and the Western Emperors meet 
Jn Congress here at Erfurt, and join with you, 
Bavaria and Saxony and Prussia, 
Westphalia, WiJrtemherg, our royal cousins, 
And you. Grand Dukes, and Princes of the Rhine, 
And Dukes of lesser German States, all join 
In an offensive and defensive compact. 
The terms have been with patient labor framed. 
What each in men and money shall contribute, 
To aid us in onr common enterprise. 
His Majesty of Austria makes with France 
A solemn pact ; so Spain ; so Portugal ; 
The Northern Kings, both Sweden and old Denmark, 
Are likewise bound to France in firm alliance. 
We, then, the Continental Powers of Europe, 



04 NAIH)LI<X)N 

Ihiiirt! stiiiul :ii;:iiiis( our I'onmuni (Mummv. 
No Kui:;Hsli ship slmll vu[ov jiny port 
Or tr.'uisjHirl :inv iMiiiiish iiuM'fhniuliso. 
We'll swoi'p luT ooimutM'i'f Iroiu llu> tour i!;roat seas, 
(hir troMtios linvo lu-ou si>;iKh1 :uu1 rntilu'd 
Auil [Uju'ihI j»uu>nu; \\w .'irchiNcs ot c.wU s(:iti>. 
()no ni't riMunins. "Pis uioro of t'oriMiionv 
Tluiu st'voroiii'u oss»mu"o. Thus shall \\i' proi'hiiui, 
Louilor thau truiupot blasts, to Isurojio's oars. 
So loud oaoh port and luuulot \u ouv hiuds 
Shall hoar, this strict iMuhaviro )>hu'0(l on h'ugUuul. 
Kaiso up vour swoi'ds t>ai'h one aud all. 
And swoar throo tiuu's vour faithful lovalty 
'That uauiiht shall turu us frou\ our pliiihttHJ \vt)rd. 

|.l// raisr iJtrir sirorJs. aiui sai/ in unison: 

All. \\\> swoar. Wo s\vi>ar. W(^ swoar. 

Xapolt'on. 'Vhc iMuporor o{' l-'raui'o has lu>ard your 
oath ; 
'Twill bi^ ri'i'ordod iu lior books of stato. 
'V\\v Kiui; of Italy has ht^ird your oath; 
'V\\c Kussiau Kuipovor. uiv brother, hoars; 
Auil all of you havi^ hoard t^ioh other's oaths; 
So uiay it bo as you havt^ duly sworn ! 
Now lot \is to our several luuues return 
.\nd keep this prouiiso treasnrt\l in our hearts. 
Our work is done. This Ooni2,rt'^s is dissolved. 
^^ONv let the trumpets this auiiouneenient make. 

I Tht' tniniprts sound three times and the asse)iddif 
departs in the rererse order of their eominij 
in. .is they pass out T.m i kykano joins 



(ioi/j jfh and Uf'/y yjalk forward to the front 
of tlic, hIjkji'. 
(Jofdhf. You now liavc n;a^'lj''J u [litinafh; of ^lory 
IV'lipHing r'l/'sar'H (;inj)in;. 

I'aUeyraiid. This Spanii-Ji war k<-(:\)^, u.s awake of 
niglilH. 
Xapolr.'ori'n writ to Sf^ain Uj(; nobloHt army 
'J'lui Hun haK hccai, wiUi fla^.s ahl!i/»- with victory. 

(Joethe. ( Hatiricatly.) An'l Soull. and Xfy l,o l<;a'J 

tlH;lfi I 

'J'atteyrand. An'l yf-t it fnf;lfH liko Known l;f;fon; the 
Hun. 

(jof'tlw. lint, thf-y are fnarHlialn, not, ro/n/fian'JerH. 
liatH 
An'] rnole.s need eyeH. Not one of all y^ur niar.shalH 
Can fi^'ht exeept beneath \aj>oleon'K eye. 

^J'atleyrund. ft may h'; tru'-. 

(Joethe. Your house in huilt of Hun-dri^-d briekn. 

^J'alleyrawJ. Y'.ur rnoo'l is marry , sir; you Mpeak 
in jewt. 

fJoclfif. I '-'Hij'l n'^t jeHt at Hucb a time, when all 
iVIy I'atherlan'l i;-: sa'l. 

Tatieyrand. Then you mitttake. 'Jhih empire we 
liave built 
\h buttreHHed like thiH temple here. 

(jOf'the. ThiH \Mn\A(i rivalH g-ranite-, iron-elarnped ; 
.Men ^'ornf; anr] go; irraHs growH and rivers flow; 
TfieKe arehoH Htan'l ; an'] from tbr---;e v/indowg' eyes 
Survev tJje Heen^i tbriy havf; for eenturieH. 

Talleyrand. But not more firm tban i:-; our empire. 



66 NAPOLEON 

Ooetlic. Not sv\ \ tnir ari-h is i"ri:il>K^; 'twill iTuni- 

And tuiublo this gront t'abrio on yo\ir lu^inls. 

'I\illc}/niHii. It stands on bayonots. 

Goeiht\ Hut bayoiu'ts oan nrvor stand unlt^ss 
Hold \\\-> bv arms o{ tlosh and blood. 

Talh'jfianii. Millions of arms snpport tlioui! 

(tovthe. lint arms aro powerless unless warm hearths 
Shall nourish thorn. 

Tdih'ijrtuuL All Germany is loyal! Hoard yi>u not 
These oaths i 

Gocth<\ A oonvii't's oath I The nuMi this side the 
Khine 
l.ovt^ th(Mr »nvn hearths and homes, and love themselves 
Too well \o break a lanee for Fran«.v. exeept — 

TallcynuhJ. Kxeept i 

Goctht\ Some Fnry with a tlaming sword shall 
drive 
Them into battle. 

T'alleyrond. Napoleon is the ward of Destiny! 
Defeat not oniv has perehed upon his banners. 

iiot'tht'. *Tis true that dove and all his thunder- 
K>lts 
Was ne'er mon^ fortunate. And yet this irvxl 
Has ftvt of elay ; a iytniius wonderful. 
Not iutinite as his ambition. 

Tallet/muJ. Xo phnnmet yet has sounded all his 
depths. 

Ootihc. The depths of knowledi^\ true, are iutiuite: 
No single art nor seieneo fathoudt^s : 



Afi'j iiii-ti will \<:'.in\ KOfri''l,i(ri*-. Iii:-', tri'-k--. of v/ar 
Afi'l ij.»'. l,h*;iM 'gainnt/ fiiffi;-',<',lf. 

'raUryrarul.. HIh j^fjiiuH v/ilj invf.rif, ••.<iu\<; <>\\tt;r 
wijf.ff, 
To ri'-t, 'jiill )){)(»•'! fool-',. 

fJoc/Ji,/'.. W;ir iH JUi ;jr>,. 'Ti'. ii'>\. ;mi '.i\)',;\.rn<:\, 'r'/:'u:U'f;. 
In Jjrf, t,})f; kf)Owlo'l^«; rn.ti/ny fucw ]ioy.?.< :■'.•', 
M«y y';t HurpJiK'j, wfuit om; matt know,".. 'Ihf; roU; 
Ifif, Hif>yl won:, Ii*t rnyKtift K»J<fit, if. not, 
]',< H\i<;i\\ii:<\ \<, rn(-, yr:l, }ir;jir fny f)roj)li';cy ! 
In fh<; 'lyrol'tfirj A ![>•■, on»; Hiirrifn<;r'H morn, 
I ftlifri^f:^! a rriountfiin with thr; rlirnhin^ hum. 
'I }i»: ro'-k:-., tijf rilln, tli'; 'h'tr, tli>; I;ir'lv. jin'I irc^-.f, 
Were, wnkin^ frortt l\n'ir HlurnUrrH, Hinfr'tu^^ tnal'ttiH 
Of joy. Wo rfHchcA far up t.Iir; jriant'H HhouMrrr 
VVIiftH; two 'If:f'-p vallf;yM join. Our r;yrrH wr;r<; rapt. 
In w';n'lf;r fif. tijr; awful (vrono. A Hforrn 
W;iH, ri/iri^. S**on tfifr t.hun'lr-r roiU-yj. 'I hr; ff,r<:-'X 
'I rciii\)\(<\ iif)t\ rook«'l. Tfir-rf; carru; a rrar-.h. VV*; naw 
I'n-.cM, a till frart.Ii, anfj ro^-kx in motion 'jown 
'I fi*; rnountairi'H HJfif;, an^l when they reaches] l\it: i/nrp^e, 
.\jakf; onr; rnafj lr;ap into ihc An-at] aby«?'.. 
A f.ionfj ■r'.\.r<:»uu-A ijf> an'I float/;'! off; thon all 
Wa.H H^Wit.ijfl*!, a fjj'iinj.' memory. 
,\'ow mark \\\(; HirniU; ! An avalanch<;, 
VVIif.n ]U:h.vcWh i\iinh of lifx-.rty han i\r<-A 
Tlif; (fcna'AU hourf, will «uroly <''/>mr;, 
'llii", r-.torrn will ri?/-, /Atf-rf; \','^\^'i': rnonrnH for frf^Aom^H 

Slf!<!p; HW(:(:])lTi!/ 7/<;-',t, an'l t!}i\)u:r\ni! fhrci; <Mi:\\ \<:'A^\i(:, 

'Twill hurl your pl^^rny troatioH, frail hWihrif^H, 



68 NAPOLEON 

Voiir paper empire built on bayonets, 

Your broken columns, shattered, routed legions. 

Into the seething nuielstrom of the Rhine. 

Talleyrand. But if this flood shall come (which 
ne'er will come), 
The llohenzollerns, too, — your taskmasters, — 
Will ride, be sure, astride the climbing wave, 
Monarchs of all was theirs before. 

Goclhc. I fear they may, and yet their yoke is 
lighter 
Than yours has been. It galls the German's neck 
To have his laws promulgated from Paris. 

Talleyrand. Your ghostly vision of poetic fancy 
Would a]>]Kil mo could I think its portents true. 
Here stands a mighty empire, hewn by the sword; 
Mightier thiui Charlemagne or Ctesar carved. 
All govcriunent must rest, no doubt, upon 
The people's will, — 'tis written in the stars! — 
In part, at least. A generation new 
Will grow; forget their former idols; learn 
To kiss the chast<^ning rod which smote their sires. 
Here stands a lofty temple. Its columns, base 
And architrave the hand of Genius raised ; 
No architect since time began has built 
In ten short years such strange magnificence. 
The sun that gilds its dome lights half the world. 
At mom and eve half Europe turns its eye 
Towards its pinnacles, as Saracens 
Turn theirs towards Mecca. 

Goethe. Your temple stands upon a mountain-top: 



AC:T third 69 

Its grandeur lures all Europe, yes, the world; 
That mountain's name is A'ltnsi, iEtna! And when 
She shakes her head and Tliunder's voice awakes, 
Beware ! Beware, the falling ruins I 



NAPOLIOON 



\CV IV 

Scciw I 

Ihrlinr (!/*(/ Full of Sapolt-on 

Time, aiitinnn of IS(H>. .1 stilon in the paltico of Fon 
taincblcati. .Ioskimunk drcsstui in hlach. 

Talh'i/ranJ. {f\nfrrs alonr.) Kin^-s' M\inist»M-s 
sloop \\o{ on hvda oi rosos 
Anil oluM'iibs faimini;; tluMii with porfuuuHl winijii*; 
Nor aiv tlioir uii^ht*^ suoli vnptiirous siostas 
As ilroamiui; luaiilons kmnv in fnirv talos. 
Tho onros of stato. liko jjluvsts \vho tiovor down, 
8it ofton bv tluMV Innlsiilos :ill ihc niixlit, 
(V oliaso OMoh othor uuully through tlioir brains. 
A King- wliv nt>t ^ • - ]>rofors his rosos piokod. 
And lots liis uiinistors onjoy tlio thorns. 
A monrnfnl busiiioss this! IM rathor battlo 
With a sooro of stalwart nion than ono frail woman. 
Hotwixt hor toars ami sniilos. oomvits and wilos, 
llor innooonoo and oraft, hor soimmi and blnshos, 
Hor drvH^piniT oyos and sidolonjr. nptnrnod glanoos. 
To Ho drawn ont \ipoi\ tlio rnok woro hoavon 
(''oniparod to s\U'li Ivwildorini:: torn\ont ! Pationool 
J\iV}> silont ! l>o ioo, bnt soon\ liko Niol>o. 



A^T JOCH/Jif 71 

./oHephinfi. J kfjov/, \'rin';<: '\ alUtyrnwl, yo\ir rnourn- 

ful rruhhion. 
J rK;r;rri t/> H'-zj rny cx'jfjut, ion block, 
Whf;rf;on rny Ij^ja'] rriiiHt lio aH lay the wiv^^^' 
Of Kn^^larjfJ'H Hf;riry, falling lik<: tho poppicH 
0'er-riponf;fJ in the fiun. A Htran^fr pr^H^jntirnfint 
Of rny fat*; fian h?jijntffj all rny 'ircarnn for wji-mV'a, 
Driving the liue-; of morning from rny c.hc/iksi. 
My Krn[;f;ror'H hiinUm liavrj c^-a^fA to ffj*;/] rny fieart 
With that Hwcct tnnnTiii which in fJayn of yore 
WaH bread an 'J drink t/> rny enamoured h'>u1. 
It needed no liandwriting on the v/all 
7'o t/rll me that rny ;-;iJn of life had vi\.. 

TalleyraruL I'ake not thia circurn«tance jk^ rniich t/'j 

heart, 
T pray your Majegty. 

JoHdplune. Take not rny fat/; to heart? Yon never 

knew 
'\\i<>Hf: halcyon days of early love, when wordii 
])r()]>])(A from rny lover's lips like strings of jtfmrh; 
When every smile wag like the blushing, sun 
That shf;«^ls its radiane/j o'er s^jme sleepy dell, 
Awakening it to glories never dreamed 
Bfifore ; kissing the dews away ; giving each flower 
A swefjter perfume and a fairr^ far^. 

T allay ran/1. No. I have Wfn a hard ascetic, prif^tly 
Bishop and anchorite. 

.JoHf'/f)hine. And liJilf of life ha-; U;en an unread 

b'y>k, 
Seailed up and bound with iron f-Vdsiml Ambition 



72 NAP()LKA>N 

Uiis its jovs. it .•>iu'li ihi'v ci\\\ he \."a\\cA, \v1um<' i'iM»t<>st 
Iv-* tl\t^ aim of lil\> ami \ iolorv il.s i-rown ; 
'I'ho hoart is soainl. '(is slirivolKHl liko a l>ml 
Hall jjrow 11. or (>alrii l>v sv>iiir siM'jxmiI worm. 
No v'liiKlron (iirust tluMr trustiii^i^j ovos hofon> 
\'o\\v (iu'i\ uov I'lamluM- up vour kiuM^s ami \Ai\co 
rinnr hoails ai;'aiiist vimr lu<arl, lo hoar it spoil 
Tlioir namos aiul (oil (Iumii o( \our lovo. 

/'(j//f'f/njM(/. Too (riu>I Tliost"' jovs woro all tltMiitHl 

l-'orp>( I riu>so rost\a(o Inios vtm paint. st> woll 
NnpoltHMi tiovor saw. Imt tain wmiKl sih\ 

tlosx'phnit'. llo's hail nir/ ohiUinMi. lort\{ tluMu, aiul 
//»<»/ him. 
No lovoli^^r has suuiiv I'ranoo i^'or si\mi 
rii.an mv Kuomio ami uiv UiM'tonso. Wlion wt> 
Won^ marriotl. in \]w li.appv <lavs whon ho 
(,\'Uiu^ h.aok a ('harKMiias:;n(> from Italv. 
Anil ln\>wiusl with l"'i:Apt's suns, no swi^Mor sons:;}* 
0( praiso or (riuinph tliil hiv^ t^ars t>'or lu\ar 
Than ihoso mv oliiUlivn sane:. .Vla^ilin days! 

7'rt//r»/m««/. How woll ho lovos t.lioni. you auil 
Kratnv know wt^ll. 
l*'ull oftoi\ has ho spokt^ ti> mo o{ makini:: 
Ivuiivno iho hoir of all his sovonMpitios. 
Hut yot tlu\<^o I'hihlnMi aro not his. 

Jost'phinc. That truth was lone •'» liai^gt^r to mv 
)»oart ! 
Oh. ivnUi you know tlu^ toars. tho sv'ahHni^ toars 
I'vo slu\l wl'.on ho lav fast asUnn^ Ivsi^lo mo! 



Ah, tViat'K my ttntmA There i» no t^om a womain 
I>iar« lutarier than thw. 8h/j b<iar« h/;r hiMsbanidi'ss, 

Can Jiav it ii5 b/;r fault n'i>5 fcur^r mmioriunf^ 

7'alUyraruL XapoUy/a n«ver -rj^jrwiire^ yoii ffW' thw, 
JofiephiTie. Xor cen«tir<i« rrw? at all! ('Ainxtirfm hh 
wiff'/i 
Not whr?n my rrr-Twri <?*)Kt hirn a kingdom'* raiwom 
Waij h<j dhipUiSiM-Af tia^ve in hi« kindly ayfijk. 
Not %'h/:rn rriV j^;w;l«, i'.rrmuf'., ro\ifi». of )rtat« 
}ii(frt4£Hi£''A hi', trdnmiry v/nm hi>; gr*:^ brow 
Od«! d&rVfnfiA with a itVmA. 

ToJJ/cyrfjjri/L Yfd ^iy viarti great «?xtravaganoe». 
J OH^.f/hir^t!,, 'Th true! *Tij> tru/;! And tru/j T am 
a woman ! 
\Umifirn\tftr that WVre bird* of ^rzAhfi'j 
Our feathjr;r« and our fsui*;* are our pride, 
Our \)^m\iffr\M, countersign* of royalty. 
You make u« eo. You j>ay your o^/urt to beauty 
<^>f farjr;, r>f form, of dre«5, of e»^uipage, 
TTie mind i» but the gem, the dre*« the netting. 
E'en Cleopatra'* »elf, the fairesst mind 
The Julian Age e'er «aw in pettiooat«, 
I/ned all the pomp and panoply of robf«. 
And gorgipou* «tal^, and splendid retinues, 
Barg«i and jeireh;, palaef#, and pageantrie«. 
When «he would lead great C««ar in her train, 
^lad Anthony — a lion whiai in battle ! — 
Threw half of Kome^R great sovereignty away 
To let her gmootli hi* mane, and be her lap-doj^. 



74 NAPOLEON 

Then, blame me not because I am a woman. 

Talleyrand. But would you not this dynasty should 
stand ? 
Not perish when Napoleon's sands have run ? 

Josephine. He has Eugene. And he can make my 
son 
The heir of all tliis royalty. Faithful 
He's ever been ; he's of imperial mind. 
No son was ever loved more worthily. 
But must the tree be Bonaparte, both root 
And branch, with nothing grafted ? Take his brothers, 
Jerome and Joseph, Louis : these are Kings, 
And by him vested with their purple robes; 
Nor are they childless. Why is not that law, 
That Salic Law, — it rules in other courts, 
In many a land, succession to the crown, — 
Not good enough for France ? I beg of you, 
Present these cogent reasons to my lord — 
My Gracious Majesty, I ought to say, 
Perhaps, however alien to my tongue. 

Talleyrand. These are not new inventions, but al- 
ready 
Are threadbare platitudes, at court. 

Josephine. But I am part of all his victories! 
I held Ambition's ladder while he climbed ; 
I fitted him for battle, soothed his sorrows, 
Took his head upon my breast and kissed 
His woes away. I stilled his battle-fevers 
When they raged t^o high. When he has come to me 
With Care, Cassandra-like, upon his brow, 



ACT FOURTH 75 

Or with that awful look of Austerlitz, 
When mighty schemes disputed mastery, 
How often have I rooted out the tares 
And sown the garden with anemones ! 
You lords of earth ! You little know how frail 
You are, amenable to pleasantries 
And sweet cajoleries. Don't tell my husband 
This. But tell him that Josephine has been, 
And is, and shall be, while she lives, his wife. 
Faithful and true, loving and kind. The shadow 
Of no cloud e'er stood between us since our wed- 
ding, 
When he, with glory for his purse, his heart 
A well-spring of delights and sweet enchantments, 
Came home from Italy and took us three, 
My children and myself, to love. 

Talleyrand. I need not tell him this, for he, the 
court. 
All France has learned it as their catechism. 

Josephine. (Reflecting.) Still ice! The Church 
cannot our banns annul ! 
The Holy Father will not. 

Talleyrand. An imperial decree will do this office. 
In which the Senate can concur, 

Josephine. And — this — decree — the — Emperor 

— will — sign ? 
Talleyrand. The Cabinet is so advised. 

[Josephine throws herself on the sofa, and buries 
her face in her hands, sobbing. After a while 
she regains her composure. 



76 NA1X)L1<X)N 

Joscphuw. l'';ir(>\vt>ll, (luMi, (o luv liMi>piiu'ss, my 

I'll ilwt'll at Mnlniaison, in widow's wi'tnls. 
His f;ico U[n>n luv walls auii in niv li(>art. 
What s})an o( lifo is \o({. Now all is lost! 
I'vo K>st niv l.<n(>! I'xtMost niv lMn|HM-ov! 
Oh. niv oiu'o ivinponn"! (uul inii2:lit have niaiio 
Son\(^ vliMniijod and i;-ift(Hi liini w illi iiraci' 
Of mind, with swtvt brnviKliM-nuMits, nunv {uWont 
Vo maki' all nuMi adon\ obtnlicnt. 
Ami t\>llow I'aptivo at his chariot wh(H>ls, — 
Hut m^Nor did! I'vi* shinl moiv hitt(M- toars 
Than that, tall glass contains o( crvstal ilintps. 
1 ju^Mn\ llortonso havo wopt with mo, bomoaued 
My fati\ My sv>n oanio horo fnnu Italy: 
Napoloon sont for him and bi\srirod him broak 
To mi^ tho balofnl tiilinijs his s»>ft hoart 
(\>nUl no\(M- lis)>. - Wo wonhl no{ trnst himsolf. 
His ontMnios will n\nrdor his ii-innl namo. 
Men oall him oold ; nion say his hoart is stont^ 
His mind is liko tlio diammid. ami shinos 
Vho bri^htost in tho u'lari^ of many n\inds. 
His hoart is bnt a ohild's. Had this boon lord, 
And kini2>Hl his lifo. this world had hajipior boon, — 
And .losophino. Tho onp lio offo rs mo 
That onp 1*11 ilrink ; not 1 alono: my ohildron 
And himsolf will drink. All's lost ! ^ly robos of stato. 
My onnvn, - - a protty banblo now! — my maids 
And ohamborlain will show yon. Thov aro the st^ate's. 
My fow romaininji' yoars \u i.\c(\]^ of faith 



Ar-J- \()\:\i'\\i 77 

And chanty Bhall all be H])fiTd. Tell birn, 

That BhouM tfi'j clouds obs^jure the Hun, Hbould sbadowsj. 

Adv-f^rnity e'er crohH bis path, t>;]] birn 

lie known the path to Malrnais'yn ; be knows 

The necromance unlo<;k« itjj do^^rn. Tell birn 

Ihat should Horne other quf.en aH<;end biH throne, — 

JIc crowned rne and he can uncrown rne too, — 

S<^>rne cbild corne straigbt from Heaven to gladden tbem, 

The prayerg of Jo8<^;pbine are for all three, 

For hirn, for hf;r, and for tbeir cbild. farewell I 

[£';C't7 JOHEPUISE. 

Scerte IT 

A'ludria jfArm ihe Alliarice afjairud Napole(/n, 

Tirfi/i, June 2(j, 181S. i'laca, a fjardc/fi In ihe f/ixUhirtfs 
of JJrefiden. JiuHHla, PruHHia, Knglaru)., Hyain awl 
Sweden are alre<i/hj allied arjairud lata, and Awdria 
hoH offered Uh friendly offlcess io necure peace, liim- 
sia and Prussia have fjuxepted ihera, o/nd Mkttek- 
Nicii coffves io nee if NAPOLKO^' vy'dl aeeepi the iertnsi 
they offer; oihervj'me AuMria vAll join ihe alliance 
againfii him. The Hcene operm in ihe late afiern/jr/n, 
hut uhen MKTTKKXiCif goea, it is dark. T7i,e scerie 
portrayed here laded several ho-ars, and this effect is 
designed io shovj thai corijfiderahle time elapsed dur- 
ing the scene. When ihe scene operiJi Xky, Mukat 
are in animated conversation, gloomy arul despf/riderd. 
XAPOtEO?? is in a passion at times. He knows Met- 



78 NAPOLEON 

TERNicii a liar, and unfortunately distrusts him. He 
is sincere in thinking his father-in-law will not make 
war on him. 

Macdonald. (Comes in.) An annistice has been 
declared and lasts 
Two weeks. 

Ney. To settle terms of peace ? 
Macdonald. Aye, peace! And Metternich comes 
here to-day 
Armed with antliority to fashion terms 
Or throw the sword of Austria into the scale. 

Ney. With Russia, Prussia, England, Spain and 
Sweden ; 
And then the scale will kick the beam, for Europe 
Has caught its breath, has gathered courage since 
The ghastly horrors of that IMoscow rout. 
Three hundred thousand gibbering ghosts have told 
Their tale unto the tattling winds, and they 
Have sung it in all Europe's ear. 

Murat. But Austria will never fight us! Napoleon 
Has married Austria's daughter. 

Ney. Else marriage vows are false as harlots' 

prayers ! 
Macdonald. We must have peace ! All Europe now 
is sick 
To death of blood and bayonets and famine. 
Of fruitless fields and empty granaries. 

Ney. France, too, cries out in clarion tones for 
peace. 



ACT FOURTH 79 

Her men are dead, and we have robbed her cradles 
To fill our ranks. There's hardly a moustach© 
In all my legions. Napoleon called us cowards 
At Liitzen ; raged like half-mad Lear, because 
Wo bagged no prisoners. But puling boys. 
Just loosened from their mothers' apron-strings, 
Are no fit match for Prussian panthers, frenzied 
By freedom's shibboleths; or Tartar Cossacks, 
Half-man, half-horse, barbaric centaurs. 

Macdonald. (In a loiu tone.) Well, here cornea 
Metternich, as gay and heartless 
As Leda's swan, though bearing Europe's fate 
Upon his back. f Enter Metteenich. 

Ney. (In a low tone.) When the mighty Julius 
was a lad, no gallant 
In Rome wore gayer plumage ; yet Sulla saw 
A second Marius in that wild boy. 

Murat. But Cicero, I've read, then laughed to scorn 
Red Sulla's jaundiced prophecy. 

Ney. The silent soldier saw the spark of genius, 
Although the shallow talker saw but ioWy. 

Macdonald. (Approaching.) Good day, Prince 
Metternich. 

Metternich. Bon jour. Monsieur le Marechal. I 
hope 
The hero of the Coup d'Etat is well. 

Macdonald. Quite well. But sighing for the boule- 
vards 
And peaceful pleasantries of Paris. 

Murat. (Approaching.) Good evening, Metternich. 



80 NAPOLEON 

Mettemich. Bon soir. How fares the King of 

JSTaples ? 
Murat. As well as soldiers can away from home, 
And fed on Saxon garbage. 

Ney. Prince Metternich, we're glad to see you. 
Mettemich. Your greetings I return in double 
measure. 
I hope the " Bravest of the Brave " is well. 

Ney. In health; but tired of war, campaigns, the 
roar 
Of guns and smell of sulphur. 

Murat. Well, bring you peace or war? 
Metternich. Both peace and war. I bring in my 
right hand 
Peace, Plenty and Prosperity. Like Ceres, 
I pour them in a stream from Autumn's horn. 
But in my left I hold the dogs of War 
In leash, ready to spring at all your throats ; 
Your Emperor and you can choose your fate. 

Macdonald. We all want peace ; would see Aurora 
pierce 
The thunder-clouds above our heads and paint 
A golden lining on their sombre folds. 
Mettemich. What says your Emperor ? 
Macdonald. Who would consult the Delphic oracle 
Must seek his fate himself; and modestly. 

[Ney and Macdonald go out. Napoleon comes 
in. . 
Napoleon. (Advancing hrusquely.) How is my fa- 
ther's health, — the Emperor ? 



ACT FOURTH 81 

Mettemich. I thank your Majesty, he's very well, — 
Or was on yesterday, when I left Prague, 
He hopes you are the same, and sends by me 
His warmest, kindest greetings. 

Napoleon. I thank his Majesty with all my heart. 
A noble sire, but most unfortunate ; 
Hedged in by proud and empty-pated lordlings! 

\^Brusquely. 
You, too, want war ! Well, you shall have it so. 
I swept the Prussians from the field of Liitzen ; 
I crammed the Russians' throats with death at Bautzen ; 
'Tis now your turn. Vienna is our goal. 
Three times I've placed your King upon his throne ; 
His daughter is my Empress ; and his grandson 
Is King of Rome and will be Emperor — 
Italy's Boy-King, but Charlemagne's successor. 
All this and more the Ilapsburgs owe l^apoleon. 
What dowry has his daughter brought to France ? 
Fhe brought France naught but largesses of woe, 
The poisoned robe of Nessus, rank with discord. 
Misfortunes and imperial jealousies, 

Mettemich. (Sarcastically.) Another Trojan horse ! 
'Twas most unkind, 
Although well meant. 

Napoleon. And what bring you to-day ? 

Mettemich. I bring the olive branch, and bring the 
sword; 
You have your choice. The fate of Europe lies, 
As does your own, within your hands. Sweet Peace 
Allures in dulcet tones your bloody feet 



82 NAPOLEON 

To green ambrosial vales. My Emperor 
Has beard tbe voice of Conscience, tolling out, 
As 'twere some deep cathedral bell, bis duty. 
Will you not listen to your own ? Not hear 
All Europe's cries for peace ? 

Napoleon. Wbat would you bave me do ? Degrade 

myself ? 
Not one band's breadtb of soil will I give up ! 
Tbe Eliine my boundary ? No, never that ! 
Your Kings are born to rank and palaces, 
And twenty Wagrams would not drive tbem thence; 
Success or failure filches not their thrones. 
But I — the child of Fortune ! — cannot survive 
Longer than my great sword awakens terror. 
'Tis true, I've bad my losses, — lost in one 
Cold night full thirty thousand horses. Bah ! 
What's that to France ? She loves me just the same. 
Mine is the finest army e'er faced Death ; 
I'll bold a grand review and show it you. 

Metiernlcli. And yet this army begs of you for 

peace. 
Napoleon. No, not the soldiers, but tbe generals. 
The snows of Moscow chilled their blood to ice; 
Demoralized tbem all. I've seen the bravest 
Break down and cry like babes ; but what of that ? 
Two weeks ago you might had peace. Not now — 
Metternich. Your peace is never more than truce. 

Misfortune, 
Success, — both hurry you to war. Both you 
And Europe now throw down the gauntlet. Each 



ACT FOURTH 83 

Is bent on war. But one can win, — that's Eu- 
rope ! 
Napoleon. How many allies are there ? Four, five, 
six, 
Or more ? Who cares ? October's sun will see 
Us in Vienna. 

Metternich. (Sadly.) This is an epoch-making 
day. Events 
Are poised, like vultures, o'er our heads. My King 
Would mediate between you all. The Western 
Empires accept with joy his kindly offers; 
And will not you ? 

Napoleon. I know the strength of Austria's bat- 
talions ; 
Know every man she has ; yet fear her not. 
She holds no dagger o'er my heart. 

Metternich. And I know yours. I've seen your 
soldiers. They 
Are babies fresh from school. If these are swept 
Away, what then ? You have no more. The crop 
Of men is not perennial, like grass. 

Napoleon. {Angrily.) You were not bred a sol- 
dier, but I was. 
The barracks were my nursery, the camp 
My cradle. Soldiers value men as players 
Do pawns in games of chess. A million men 
Might bite the dust and I not lose my nerve. 
The gambler stakes sometimes the house that shelters 
His children from the rain, without a qualm. 

{Throwing his hat into the comer of the room. 



84 NAPOLEON 

Metternich. Throw open the doors! Call in your 
officers ! 
Proclaim these sentiments aloud to France ! 
Within a year your head is gibbeted. 

Napoleon. (Recovering his composure,) My peo- 
ple love me well, and I love them. 
I've shown them heights Elysian. 

Metternich. (Interrupting.) And fields Elysian, 

too. 
Napoleon. Three hundred thousand bleaching skele- 
tons 
Outface the moon on Russian steppes. How many, 
Think you, were French, of all that mighty host ? 
But thirty thousand ! All the rest were Germans, 
Or else were Poles. 

Metternich'. Forget not, Sire, that I am German, 
too. 

[Napoleon walks up and down the room, across 
the stage, with his hands behind him, and goes 
and picks up his hat from the floor. 
Napoleon. But would your Emperor dethrone his 

daughter ? 
Metternich. He loves his people more than kith or 

kin. 
Napoleon. (Meditatively.) My Austrian marriage, 
then, was brainless folly ! 
I've tried to weld the old and new; to blend 
Old Gothic with new French. I may have failed. 
My throne may fall : but with its tumbling ruins 
Down comes the world. 



ACT FOURTH 85 

l^An Usher brings in candles, and hands a letter to 

Metternich, who looks at the superscription. 

Metternich. Pardon me, Sire, but may I look at 

this? 
Napoleon. Certainly. 

[Metternich breaks the seal and reads; mean- 
while Napoleon keeps up his slow walk. 
(Soliloquizing.) In two weeks more our armistice 

expires. 
Affairs of such great moment need reflection. 
There's need, perhaps, of longer time. 

Metternich. (In a low tone to himself.) This let- 
ter comes from Schwartzenberg. He will, 
Should this my mission fail, command the Allies ; 
Lead four great armies 'gainst Kapolqon. 

[He reads. 
" My army would, in twenty days, add to its strength 
seventy-five thousand men. I should consider the pos- 
sibility of obtaining this extension of time a happy cir- 
cumstance. But the twenty-first day would be a burden 
to me. Schwartzenberg." 

[In a low tone to himself. 
He must have time ; have twenty days at least. 

Napoleon. (Aloud.) My Russian-Prussian-Swe- 
dish truce will last 
Two weeks. Prolong this time till August tenth. 
Will all consent to this extension ? 

Metternich. At my request they will. 
Napoleon. So let it be! Our conference has been 
Prolonged till darkness hides our faces. But we 



86 NAPOLEON 

Shall meet again, 1 hope. 

Meffernirh. Whene'er tou wish, before the tenth of 
August. 

[Mettefnich goes f awards the door by which he 
cvfcred. 
Napoleon. {Touch iiuj hiw familiarly on the shoid- 
dcr.) And know you what will happen? You 
will not make 
This war on me you threaten. Wo, at least, 
Shall smoke the pipe of peace. 

Mcttcrnich. {Sfcrnly and sadly.) Ah, Sire, you 
know not what you say. Yon would 
Not be oonviTU'od were Ihiroo's ghost to rise, — 
Your dearest friend's, — and warn you of your doom. 
Vesuvius were not more dajigerous 
Than where you stand. Your throne is tottering, 
Shaking with France's volcanic throes; and yet 
You smile in mockery at my prediction. 
Presentments of your fate came hand in hand 
With me: its certainty goes hence with me. 
Xapolcon. When shall we meet again? 
Mctfernich. Before the clock strikes midnight, Au- 
gust tenih. 
Or on the field of battle. 

Napoleon. "Draw not the veil which hides futurity 
From mortal ken, with such assuring hand. 
What say you to Vienna, next October? 

Mcttcrnich. That cannot be! Too many bayonets! 
A half a million men must perish first. 
'Tis likelier we meet at Fontainebleau, 



AC T FOURTH 5! 

And cross a Hoa of blood t/> get there. 

[METTKKNicfr steps out into the night, and Napo- 
i,KON looks up at the shy. 
Napoleon. My star of destiny shines bright to- 
night. 
The same star giiidod me at Ansterlitz. 
Metlcrnich. Adien. 
Napoleon. Say not adinn, but an revoir ! Your 

King 
Will make no war upon his daughter. 



88 NAPOLEON 

ACT V 

Scene I 

Time, Monday, October IS, ISIS. ^ P. M. The hattle- 
field of Leipsic. 

Third day of the baffle of Leipsic. Since 7 A. M. Na- 
poleon has been dirccfing fhe battle, most of the time 
under an old windmill, where the " Napoleon Stein" 
now stands. But the desertion of the Saxons has 
called him to fhe village of Schonefeld. He has had 
little sleep or rest for days; has, as was his custom, 
eaten little. He realizes his defeat, bid pride has so 
far kept him from giving the order to retreat. It 
means the surrender of Germany from the Niemen, 
on the border of Bussia, to the Bhine. 

This is the sixth Coalition formed against him, and 
comprises Bussia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, Eng- 
land and Spain. Bavaria, Saxony, and ^Yilrtemherg 
desert him during the battle; and these countries, 
with Westphalia and the Confederation of the Bhine, 
are lost as the result of h is defeat. Thiers says, " This 
is the greatest battle of which history makes mention," 
— 350,000 in the allied army, 160,000 in Napo- 
leon's. 

The curtain a^ it rises discloses a street in front of the 
little i7i7i in the village of Schonefeld. A table spread 
with maps and papers. A couple of chairs, in one 
of which Napoleon has just fallen asleep. Net and 



ACT FIFTH 89 

MuRAT, with several orderlies with messages, are 
standing together in respectful silence. Booming of 
cannon and rattle and whistle of musketry and explo- 
sion of shells is occasionally heard. The street shows 
the ravages of battle; houses have marks of shots, 
a dismantled gun-carnage, castaway muskets, and 
one or two dead bodies are visible, showing that here, 
too, there has been a fierce fight. 

Murat. How well he sleeps ! At seven the battle 
opened, 
And now 'tis four; and all these hours he's breasted 
Four nations and three hundred thousand men 
With half their number. Last night was all commotion ; 
The day before, and Saturday, the battle 
Raged ; many days he's scarcely ate or slept. 

Ney. Must we not wake him ? 

Murat. Two thousand cannon shout their mad defi- 
ance! 
The voice of tired nature drowns their roar. 

Ney. But we must wake him ! 

Murat. He looks so worn ! 'Tis cruelty to waken 
him; 
Yet cruelty to let him sleep. 

Ney. We are surrounded everywhere. A thousand 
Cannon are vomiting their fury on us. 

Murat. Yet Saturday a messenger was sent 
To Paris, with news of victory. 

Ney. These last two days carve Europe into quar- 
ters. 



90 NAPOLEON 

Murat. Would he had taken our advice at Dresden ! 
Six nations turn their ^ins upon us now, 
And Wclling;ton has reached the Pyrenees. 

Ney. The time for might-have-beens is past! The 
present 
Bristles with danger. Ketreat, retreat towards Paris — 
This is our only hope against destruction. 

Murat. Then I will wake him ! 
(Calls.) Napoleon! Napoleon! 

\^T ouches liiin. 

Napoleon. (Waking quicJcly.) Murat! My brother! 
Can I have been asleep ? 

Murat. For a little moment only. 

Napoleon. The horoscope has darkened while I slept, 
I see it in your faces ! 

Ney. Bliicher with his Prussians closes on us 
Towards our northern front, and Bernadotte 
Has joined liis Swedes on either wing. The Russians 
And their Cossack cavalry, a^id Austrians 
Spread like a crescent south and east and west — 
A general attack seems imminent. 

Napoleon. Our troops must hold them till the night 
comes down. 

Ney. This is impossible. Our centre holds; 
Our wings are weakening. The Allies are two 
To one against us ; fresh with reinforcements. 

Napoleon. How many have we lost ? 

Ney. Pull fifty thousand lie upon the ground, 
No covering except the cannon's breath 
Floating across them like an ocean mist. 



ACT FIFTH 91 

Napoleon. One third are gone! How many have 

they lost? 
Ney. As many more at least. 

Napoleon. A hundred thousand scorching in the 
sun ! 
This is the fiercest fight we ever fought. 
For three long days we've held these hounds at bay. 
The page of history displays no battle 
Surpassing this in dignity and fury. 
A battle of the giants ! Four Emperors 
Are fighting here for mastery. The stake 
Is Central Europe ! [J.n officer enters. 

Officer. Your Majesty, the Saxons have deserted : 
Full fourteen thousand men have joined the Prussians. 
Napoleon. What base ingratitude ! I made Au- 
gustus 
King of both Saxony and Poland, 
But he is loyal and his people false. 

[Another officer enters. 

Second Officer. Your Majesty, the Wiirtemberger 

Horse 

lias joined the Austrians. [Another officer enters. 

Third Officer. Your Majesty, Bavaria has turned 

her back upon us. 
Napoleon. All Germany is slipping through my 
hands. 
Bavaria showed me her back at Dresden. 
The chain which I had hoped to bind them with 
Is but a rope of air. 

[Another officer enters. 



92 NAPOLIOON 

Fourth (Officer. Our nrtilliMv is slu>rl of aniuuiui- 

tioii. 
.V(J/>i>/fi)M. W'o h;ul two luiiuli(\l llunisnuil loiiiuU, — 

\\ luMi wo Kit 1 hw-JiloM. 

//»(' i^/fii-fi: (hir i;iuis \\i\\c liurK\l tli:it ilowii tlio 
C»orman tliroats I 
Sup[>lios liavo I'oino trom Main.-, but not oi\ou_i;li. 
.V(i/it>/{"t»/j, {To MiKAr, fHuinij «/> and lioirn the 
alt'cet, and affcr lonij lrf^('t'tion.^ lias any inos 
s«go i'on\t» fiHM»t Austria^ 
Muml. Wnio. Slro. 

Xapol('on, Two ui«;l»(s ai;\> 1 sont a Mu>ssaj^\ askins; 
For an unuistioo aiul i>lToriiii;' oonoossions. 
Murxit. No auswiM- yot has oomo. 
XapoliOn, Must wo rotroat towai\ls I'rauot* ' What 

tliink you. Noy ■. 
Xty. 1 thiuk wi> must, auil louii' liavo tlioui;ht so. 
Xapoleon, {To MrKAr.") What says tho Kin^' of 

Naplos i 
Mufwt. Kotivat or l>o out otY frvuu all s\ipplios! 
A'(i/>i>/('()M, That, luoans tho Khiuo must bo our baso, 
ana all 
0( (>oruiauy must bo surroutlorod. lost; 
That Sa\ot\y Is i;\Mu\ and Wiirtouibore:: 
Prussia roi^aius hor Uuii;' U>st rank; 
Tho uivat i.\mft\loratiou o\ tho Khiuo, 
^Vhioh Krauoo has mado hor bulwark oi' dd'cwci". 
Is itwopt away, as ouo of llollau^rs dikos 
Onuublos boforo tlio rush o{ 0(\':\u^ tiilos. 



ACT iirrn 03 

All Uich*; won; our.', lor yoarn, hy riir\ii of fyjnf^ucHt. 

'I li«; AJIioH want Ujo Uijiii*; our boii/i<Jary. 

'i li(;ii, I'tnncM won; far ViO HiimW Uj riicllo in. 

All lian^^H ij|)on Ujo Ihhuo of thJH 'Jay! 

'IIiIh I-oijjhio JH l,l)<; haUJo (iol'J of nationn! 

One iiii^^ljf.y onnot, huoJi uh lurnocj the tido 

(hi ifiany a fioKJ wo'vo fought, may Have uh yet. 

Mural,, lo;j'J out, your cuiraHHiofH and ntonn 

V'our lull ii/';iiri, wli(;r<; nif, f.ho l']rnpororH. 

To Iki^^ Uirf:o Kin^H at, on*; foil hwoop won; ganio 

Murat,, in all liin warn, no'or hag/^od U;foro. 

Wlion Spjjiri <::i\i!s)t\, I'ranoin, I'Vanoo waH on \t<:r knee»; 

Suoli \i()HiMiscH would fjrin^ uk inKtant poaoo. 

Mural. Two dayH aj.^o I f.rif;d to haf.'; t,}joni. Now 
'l'}ioy ant aH ooy an hnntod door. 

N apoU'jya. Vou had t.fir^rn Huu\r\y noU,r;d. VVIion 
you drr;w 
'I lio Htrin^^ '''"^y HJifji away, 'i'ry oner; a/.^ain, 
lor I'Vanr;o, NapoJo^>n, and your throne of NapleH. 
'I if^hton your Haddlf^^irt^lH ! Ho thr;u a whirlwind! 
\',(: UiiH your hat.tlo-cry: " lioniorrdjor I"'rif;d]and ! " 

[ McitA'i' ridcH off. 
(Umut, Noy, tako ono hattalion of thf; Guard; — 
Thoy'vf? Htorrrif;d a }iundrf;<J holin! Oo Uiaofi old Ijlii- 

o}io*r 
T}ir; yf;lpin^''K of thf;.HO J'ru.sHian wolvoH no torrorn 
Ilavf! for Kuoh old \t(:r(xiH. 

Nc/ij. 'J tio (iuard han had no ront for throe full dayn. 

Napohon. Throe dayn! What'n that \/j thenj ? 
Throe we<;k8 



94 NAPOLEON 

Of oaruage were a welcome, well-spread feast 
If you or I but tempted them. They are 
Not schoolboy soldiers like the rest. 

Ney. They arc but men. And three to one are odds 
Too great for men. I fear we fail. 

Napoleon. We fail ? And was it you within one 
month 
Who sent this answer back : " A Marshal of France 
Never surrenders "? No! Your code of war 
Has never heard of fail. 

Ney. It never has of yore. But now that word 
Is smeared on every page. 

Napoleon. The '' Bravest of the Brave " should be 
the last 
To lisp that word. You held the Cossacks back 
From Moscow to the Niemen. Why, matched with 

that 
This carnage is a picnic ! 

Ney. These picnics come too frequently of late. 

Napoleon. Our star just now is in its apogee; 
But soon it will come nearer, blazon forth 
With all its former glory. 

Ney. " You'd sacrifice us all to your ambition." 
These were the dying words of Lannos ; Puroc, 
And Lannas ; those marshals you loved best. 
Laid down their lives for you. They thought you were 
Some god sent d<1^^^l to earth for them to kneel to. 

Napoleon. (Refecting and sad.) I loved them both. 
I've been too fond of war. 
When Duroc fell, the cannon's voice was hushed 



ACT FIFTH 95 

Till I could dry my tears. 

Ney. So I have knelt to you, and so do still : 
And thousands more have thought their lives were 

naught 
When matched against your wish. Your mad ambi- 
tion — 
'Twill be my death and that of thousands yet. 
Two million men have been your hecatomb; 
And half of Europe chants their rec|uiem. 

Napoleon. Speak not so loud, my friend, if you do 
love me ! 
Some of their ghosts may hover round us here. 

Ney. {Impulsively.) Your nod was ever and shall 
ever be 
The law that governs me, my Emperor. 
I'll give those Prussian curs a taste of Ulm ! 

Napoleon. (Exultantly.) 'Twas there you bagged 

your twenty thousand. 
Ney. Aye, three-and-twenty thousand beer-barrels, 
And wagon-loads of standards. 

[Ney goes away in haste. 
Napoleon. Too fond of war ! Too fond of war ! 
I've met, 
Like Hannibal, my Zama now ! f Murat comes up. 

Murat. These putty-pated boors have learnt at last 
Some of your tricks of war. 
Napoleon. What tricks ? 

Murat. They've learned to spell the word "" con- 
centrate ! " 
And learned the trick so well they spell it backwards. 



00 NAPOLEON 

0\d Si'hwartzonborg hns orilofi>il jill four ariuit\i> 
Vo a ij;oiuM'!il ailvaiuv. 

XapoUoiK Ami BonuulDtto is with them. 'Tis he 
has tauiiht 
Thoiu all tlu\v kni)\v. 

Mitrai. AIort>au. of llohonliiulou, too, is there; 
lie's on the Kussian Emperor's staff. 

XapoU'OiK MtM-ean is ileail ! A eannon-ball eut i>ff 
Both leg's six weeks ago at Presden. 

}[uraf. ^loreau is dead? lie knew your art of war 
As ehiUlreu know their prayers. 

Xapoh'on. Another triok of strategy they've learned. 
Jn former years, when we had wliipped one army. 
They sent a resene after it to share 
Its fate. The foxt\<« ninv retreat when pressed, 
.\nd run like sheep, exeept they're all together. 

[Xey and IM.vonoNAi.n coine up. 

Macdonald. The Allies advanee npou all sides, on 
north. 
On south, and east, and west. They're storming now 
With Hell's hot rage the bridgi^ that spans the Klster, 
To eut otY our retreat towards the Khine. 
The Prussians pound their devilish tists against 
The eastern gate; onr outpost walls are erunibling: 
The roads are floods of flying men; and twenty 
Villagi^s are now in flames. 

Napoleon. That means retreat! We must abandon 
Teipsie, 
And turn our faees baek toward France. 

[To Macdonald. 



ACri^ FIFTH 97 

Defend the DrcBcien gate with all your might, 
And kw[) tiie PrnsHianH out, till we liave crossed. , 
Your troojjH are freshest. 

[To PoNIATOWSKI. 

Yon Ijoid I lie hridge across the Elster till 

Our ir()(i\)H, a hundred thousand, all have crossed. 

[To MoNTKoirj', (Jliief of Engineers. 
(jIo mine the Elster hridge, and when the army 
lias crossed, or, when you see the Prussians on us, 
Then blow it ii[> ! 

[To MUKAT. 

Your cavalry goes first. The rcjad to Krf urt ! 

[To Nky. 
Follow Murat. Let all be orderly! 
The world must never know we're routed. 

[All go out. 
Napoleon. The world turns round against me ! 
Fortune shows 
Jler back, whose face for years has been all smiles. 
Ah, had I followed their advice! Too late! Too late! 
Ambition, Passion, Pride have blinded Reason; 
My jud^nent's lost its sovereign equipoise ! 
The sword of Friedland, it shall conquer yet ! 
Oh, for an Austerlitz! 'Twould save the Rhine! 

[Exit Napoleon. 

Scene II 

Time, March SI, 181 J^. Fontainehleau. Place, " Cour 
des Adieux." At the hack of the stage is shown the 



98 NAPOLEON 

famous double stairway from, which Napoleon hade 
farewell to the Guard, a few days afterwards. 
Evening. Moonlight. Macdonald comes upon the 
stage after the curtain rises. 

Macdonald. (Alo7ie.) Lost! Lost! All lost! 
Three months ago we crossed 
The Rhine! Since then these wolves have hunted us. 
Marches and battles ! Battles and marches ! 
All spell one word, Retreat ! Four armies chased 
Our half-clad schoolboy legions on towards Paris. 
And yet we fought six battles in eight days ; 
And all were victories, — yet here we are ! 
The Congress of the Powers made offerings 
Of honorable peace, — yet here we are ! 
He must be mad, Lle'll have the world or nothing. 
"No peace ! No compromise ! And no surrender ! 
Last night a barber's chair at Moret was his bed. 
For weeks he's scarcely slept : riding by night, 
Fighting by day one army or another. 
His genius at its zenith ! Yet here we are ! 
Ah, here comes ISTey. He looks so sad ! What news ? 

[Enter Net, dejectedly. 

Ney. This forest is an arsenal of bayonets. 
Old Bliicher's hounds are round us everywhere. 
A scout brings me a letter that old bulldog 
Had sent to Wellington. [Reads. 

" We have the tiger in a cage at last. For twenty 
years he has ravaged Europe as if it were an Indian 
jungle. But now his lair is his own den, at Fontaine- 



ACT FIFTH 99 

bleau. We have surrounded it, have stopped up every 
egress. Every road and almost every yard of ground 
is watched and guarded. Be sure that after hunting 
him so many years he never will escape us now. The 
allied army is pounding at the gate of Paris. Mont- 
martre was stormed and has capitulated. Marmot 
either has or will svirrender Paris soon, we think. The 
people are enthusiastic for the Bourbons. They hate 
Napoleon now. The Senate will declare against him. 
Talleyrand heads this revolution against Napoleon, 
and thinks he will abdicate before many days. 

" Blucher." 

Macdonald. And where is Wellington ? 

Ney. He's in the Pyrenees, and holding Soult 
At bay. He's driven him from Spain and Portugal. 
Those English are the spawn of Hell ; don't know 
When they have got their bellies full of fighting. 

Macdonald. {Beading the letter.') When was this 
written ? 

Ney. Two days ago, so says the date. 

Macdonald. What news from Paris ? 

Ney. To-day the Allies entered Paris ; an army 
Of fifty thousand, their sovereigns at their head, 
Princes, ambassadors and generals, 
With all the pageantry of a royal progress. 
The people greeted them with shouts and vivas, 
Plaudits hurrahs, as if Napoleon's self 
Were coming home from Eckmiihl or Marengo. 
The Bourbon fleur-de-lys and white cockade 
Are rampant everywhere. The tricolor, 



100 NAPOLEON 

Which once they climbed the steeple-tops to see, 

Now hides its head in shame. The Czar proclaims 

Napoleon and the Bonapartes all exiles; 

The Senate has accepted this decree, 

Demands his abdication. Our Cicsar 

Is as sceptreless as three-and-thirty stabs 

Made his great prototype. 

Macdonald. Can this he frue? 

Ney. As true as Holy Writ! 

Macdonald. It cannot be ! 

Ney. What cannot he, that is! 

Macdonald. And does Napoleon know it all ? 

Ney. Yes, all. The scales have fallen from his 
eyes. 
That wily fox, old Talleyrand, is scheming 
To overthi'ow him. He wants the Bourbons back. 

Macdonald. A sorrv day for us when they broke 
friendship ! 
'Twas Talleyrand knew well Napoleon's inner heart; 
His genius ; knew his frailties ; knew his purposes ; 
Knew all the courts and sovereignties of Europe ; 
What strings would make those manikins 
Dance to the music that his fiddle played. 
The second pillar of the Empire, he ! 
And dared to face him ; dared to pull the blinders 
From off his eyes ; expose his flatterers ; 
Hold up the glass of Truth. 

Ney. Napoleon knew all this. 

Macdonald. And will he abdicate? I hear such 
rumors. 



ACT FIFTH 101 

Ney. In favor of his son, the King of Rome. 

Macdonald. And where is he? And where's the 
Empress ? 

Ney. Marie Louise has fled with him. 

Macdonald. Where ? 

Ney. Gone to Vienna, many think. 

Macdonald. It all seems stranger than a fairy tale ! 
This cannot be! It cannot be! Ls't all 
A dream ? Are we who stand here flesh and blood ? 
Is this Macdonald ? Was it I who led 
My grenadiers to parliament ? And did 
They fly like frightened sheep before my sword ? 
And have we helped to build a mighty empire, 
And seen it fade away, as does the world 
When the great orb of day goes down and Night 
Its curtain o'er the landscape draws? 
Or are we spirits, moonlit, vaporous ghosts, 
Who float in some ethereal realm of dreams ? 
And have we lived, or only thought we lived, 
These twenty years of fierce, tempestuous strife? 
Were we at Lodi ? Austerlitz ? at Friedland ? 
Or has Imagination played us false ? 
Were you or I, upon some winter's eve. 
To take our children on our palsied knees, 
And tell them things we think we've seen. 
Tell them this tale : how once a beardless boy 
Swept like a hurricane through Italy, 
And led his legions past the Pyramids; 
Thrice opened with his sword Vienna's gate; 
Made Prussia's Queen a frightened fugitive. 



102 NAPOLEON 

Her land a wilderness of desolation ; 

Led half a million 'cross the frozen zone, 

And saw them die beneath the Ice-King's breath ; 

Picked np the sword and crown of Charlemagne 

And wore it as if born to royal state; 

And died an exile on a desert isle. 

Cowherds for courtiers, rooks and whirling winds 

For servitors, — their wondering eyes would say 

It were Aladdin's tale or we were mad. 

[They walk out. 

Scene III 

Same scenery. Time, April Jf, 181 Jf.. 

Napoleon. Ambition's dreams are o'er! My course 
is run ! 
These royal hounds have driven me to cover : 
Their teeth are at my throat; they taste my blood! 
My mother, France, diso^\^ls her favorite son, 
And says that he must lay aside the crown 
Of Charlemagne she placed upon his head; 
Exchange that empire for a barren isle. 
I'd rather join iho ranks of Freedom's sons 
Across the sea. I gave the young republic 
Full half her empire — sold Louisiana 
For a louis as a nursery of freemen ; 
I hoped to see them — grown to manhood's might — 
Defy these puny sons of pedigree. 
My cradle was the glens of Corsica ; 



\ 



ACT FIFTH 103 

My childhood sipped the wine of Liberty ; 
The brcjist I nursed was warmed by Freedom's fire: 
I hak'd Kings and lioped to lift their yoke 
From off my countrymen. The siren came. 
The Genii of War revealed their secrets; 
SJKtwed me the j)uth that led to high Olympus; 
The path young MacfMlon and (Jiesar trodc ; 
yVnd beckoned mo to follow. Ambition, lust 
Of power, disjx'lled the hopes of earlier (hiys. 
I learned, at Areola, that skill in war 
Was mine by birthright; learned the world 
Was his who conquered it; what men call genius 
Was Herculean, well-directed toil. 
The praise of men, the craze for deathless fame, 
Inflamed my energies; became the air 
I breathed; my drink; my daily food. 
The sword became my toy; the cannon's voice 
The rhaf)sody whose music thrilled my ears. 
At length I made myself a King; but France 
Would have it so. She'd felt the iron hand 
So long that, when the Kevolution rai.sed it. 
Freedom to Riot flamed and burned to ash. 
I strangled tyrannies with tyranny. 
Oh, had I trod the path of Washington, — 
My young ambition's idol, — laid down the sword 
And boimd with cords of love the lands I conquered, 
They all had learned to love their conqueror ! 
The temple T had built — 'tis now a ruin! — 
Shivered by earthquake's shock! — might then have 
stood. 



104 NAPOLEON 

Could I turn back Time's hand upon the dial, 

I ne'er again would lightly estimate 

The might of England's navy. This ruined me! 

I thought myself omnipotent ; a god ; 

And, Atlas-like, thought I could lift all Europe. 

I should have torn the crown from Prussia's brow, 

And made her Kings the Lords of Brandenburg. 

The wife who loved me should have stayed my queen : 

This cost the scorn of womenkind. Her voice 

'Twas soothed Ambition's madness in my veins. 

Had Talleyrand stayed true, that Russian fever 

Had never burned with such consuming fire. 

But why live o'er my failures ? What is, that is! 

\J\Ieditating, he walks the floor with his hands 
behind his hack. 
I might come back sometime ; might reinstate 
Myself, perhaps. 'Twould be the dicer's chance ! 
For France is worn with wars ; her energies 
Are nerveless; Europe joins her hands against her. 
Money is King in war ! 'Twill conquer Genius. 
I cannot wait for boys to grow to men, 
For school-day sinews to mature, for, then, 
The charm of my great name would be dispelled ; 
Nor can I be an idler ? No ; in Elba, 
In years to come, I'll fight my battles o'er 
Again ; like Caesar write my history, 
For ages yet unborn to ponder o'er, 
And read my future in the drifting skies. 
I have not fought for petty purposes. 
But for a haven in Valhalla's halls, 



ACT FIFTH 105 

A chair bj every Frenchman's fireside ; 

And these are mine whatever woes betide. 

The Code Napoleon will survive, and France 

Will love me, widowed, tired now of war. 

[Enter Net, Macdonald and several Marshals, 
and a Secretary hearing a parchment on a 
salver. 

Here comes the parchment 1 must sign ; 

The bearers of the bier, my greatest Marshals. 

Come forward, friends! I'm ready for the hemlock 

My- follies and our enemies have mixed. 

[He takes the parchment, reads it with a sigh, and 
takes a pen to sign it. 

See ! That's the hand that held the sword 

Of Austerlitz! 'Twere better burned than do this 
deed ! 

[Hesitates; ivolks across the floor, head homed. 

But I must keep my word ! 'Tis best for France ! 

A lighter hand, a lady's hand she wants. 

And France shall have her will ! Perhaps 'tis best. 
[He signs, then he throvjs himself on the sofa and 
huries his face in his hands and sohs vinjently 
for some time. Some of the Marshals are 
moved to tears. Then he starts up, and vnth 
all the grandeur and animation of his great- 
est moment, exclaims: 

Comrades! Ney! Macdonald! Victor! St. Cyr! 

Let us to the field again ! All is not lost 

With hearts and heads like ours ! 

[They all shake their heads. 



106 NAPOLEON 

Ney and Macdonald. Too late! Too late! 
Napoleon. {Rcpcai'mq.) Too late! Too late! 
\^Sits down at the (nhJc, duiching the parchment, 
and buries his face in his hands. 

Scene IV 

Time, April '20, ISUf. Same scenery as Inst scene. 

The Imperial Guards are assembled in front of the 
grand double stair waij leading from the palace into 
the Cour des Adieux. General Petit, who com- 
manded them, and several officers, stand immediately 
in front of the landing of the stairway, which is 
several feet above the courtyard. NAroLEON comes 
out of the palace on- the landing. The colors are- 
draped in mourning. 

Napoleon^ My brave companions of the Imperial 
Gnard, — 
The Gnard that dies bnt ne'er surrenders! — 
This is the saddest hour we ever knew ; 
And yon the trnest friends I ever had. 
How many, many years have we been friends! 
Friends in the storm of battle; on weary marches; 
Upon the Tviissian steppes; on Prussian moors; 
Climbiric: the Alps; in snnny Italy; 
Beneath the shadow of the Pyramids; 
Where'er dear France has fonnd an enemy. 
We crossed the brid,£:e of Lodi ; Areola 
Together; together stormed the heights of Acre; 



ACT FIFTH 107 

We've fought our way iio^'oss ti continent, 

From where Gibraltar lifts her frowning front 

To where the Kremlin tolled our requiem. 

You are the chosen heroes of my legions, — 

Heirs of tiiat deathless Tenth, Great Julius' pride! — 

And some can count a hundred battles won. 

But we have fought our last ! My sword is sheathed ! 

Last week I courted Death as Cupid, Psyche; 

The vixen turned her back with a I^^iry's scorn. 

My old gray coat you'll never see again; 

Nor old Marengo ! Do not regret my fate, 

You have another sovereign you should love. 

T see you weep, who never shed a tear 

In all your battles, all your sufferings. 

My heart is there with you ! My voice has fled ! 

T nmst not, l^urojie looking, ])lay the woman: 

But I nmst stop until my voice comes back. 

[Stops for a moment : sohs are Jieard helow. 
T would I could embrace you all, but cannot. 
I will embrace your General for each. 

[Bechons to Genkkal Petit, wlio, comes up upon 
the landing, and Napoleon emhirtces him. 
Bring me the Eagles ! 

[The colors are brought to him, and. he kisses them 
fervently. 
Ye blessed Eagles ! Ye have been our guides 
In campaigns glorious for long, long years ! 
Ye've led our blood-stained steps through Alpine snows, 
Following the path great Hannibal had blazed; 
Thrice have your pinions circled o'er Vienna; 



108 NAPOLEO N 

You've .shown iis where the Prussian Vulture 

Paid his mock liouuige to the Russian Bear. Dear 

Eagles ! 
Oh, may the kisses which I shower now 
Kesound upon your loving hearts, my children 1 
Farewell, my dear companions! Farewell, boysl 
Whene'er you tight yonr buttles o'vv again, 
And show yonr chihlren how our fields were won, 
T(>11 them how well yon loved your Emperor; 
How in the deadly breach he found you tinio. 
Do not forget me in my lonely isle: 
There will I write tlu^ story of your deeds, — 
Immortal as the deeds great Homer sung! 
Inimortiil as the deeds of Marathon! 
Immortal as the Titans' war with Jove ! 
Our wars will ring like bugles through the Ages, 
And be an epoch Clio's tongue will fondle. 
Let no man shmder me while you stand by; 
Surround me oncv again, as yon have done 
At Jena, Ulm, and Wagram, and Marengo! 

\He goes down among ilieni. They surround him. 
He cmhi-accs some of the offieers. Soldiers 
Icneel and l-iss his liand.^ and the hem of his 
coat. He fakes off ]iis strord and presents it 
to General Petit, and kisses the Eagles once 
more. 
Farewell I My heart I leave with you. 

[As he retires. 



ACT FIFTH 109 

Scene Y 
Spectacular. Shown hy the stereopticon. 

1. His death-bed at St. Helena. 

2. " The Invalides." 

3. Napoleon's Tomb. 

(The Moral of His Life) 

4. Five million graves. 



THE LION AT BAY 



THE PLOT 113 



THE PLOT 

Louis XIII, the weak but kindly son of Henry IV 
(Henry of J^avarre), at odds for most of his life with 
Anne of Austria, his Queen, resigned the reins of gov- 
ernment to Cardinal Pichelieu for nearly twenty years. 
Rifthelieu at the time of the play is fifty-eight years 
old. The play occupies several days. Time, 1G42. 
Ends with the death of Cinq Mars and Richelieu. 
Richelieu has destroyed the power of the nobles and 
established the authority of the King. He has perse- 
cuted the Huguenots and become Papal Legate, the 
Pope's vicegerent in France, and has used the power 
of both Church and State with unscrupulous craft. 

To keep the power in his own hands he has estranged 
the King from his own mother and from his Queen. 
He has worn himself out with his long struggles to 
preser\'e his power and establish royalty, and at the 
jicriod of this play, is on the verge of the grave and 
hated by the Que^n-Mother, the King's brother, Gas- 
ton, the Queen and all the Court and distrusted by the 
King. 

To keep the King from meddling with affairs of 
state, it has been necessary to keep him amused. Other 
means having failed, Richelieu brought Cinq Mars 
to court two years before the play opens. Cinq Mars 
was then twenty-two years old, a nobleman of extraor- 
dinary gifts and fascinations. Before coming to Paris 
he lived at Chaumont, on the Tx)ire, in Touraine, with 



114 THE LION AT BAY 

his mother, who, in her youth, was beloved by Riche- 
lieu, whose attentions were not appreciated. Richelieu 
has never married. He at one time aspired to the love 
of Anne of Austria, but she made sport of his gal- 
lantries. This angered Richelieu. 

Richelieu has a foster-child, his sister's daughter, 
Marion de Lorme, who has just finished her education 
and come home to the Palais Cardinal. She is twenty- 
two years old, a girl of wonderful charm, beauty and 
cleverness. She, at her uncle's instigation, who has 
ambitious plans for her, becomes in love with Cinq 
Mars, but his love is fixed elsewhere, upon Marie, the 
Princess de Gonzaga. They have been playmates from 
childhood, and are in love with each other. She is of 
kin with the Queen. Her royal rank makes their mar- 
riage impossible without the Queen's consent, which 
Cinq Mars hopes to gain by so distinguishing himself 
as to be made Constable of France. 

Richelieu brings him to court to amuse the King. 
The persecution of his o^vn order and of his religious 
friends, the Huguenots, by Richelieu, so exasperates 
him that he determines, if possible, to overthrow Riche- 
lieu. The times and circumstances are propitious for 
this conspiracy. Even Marion's love aids him against 
her uncle. The conspirators meet in an apartment she 
has secured for their use. 

The Duke of Buckingham, who wooed Henrietta, the 
King's sister, for Prince Charles, and brought her to 
England to become his Queen, is at court during the 
play, and begs a bracelet of the Queen, This Richelieu 



THE PLOT 115 

learns of, and resolves to use this knowledge to estrange 
the King still further from the Queen. Buckingham 
is killed bj an assassin, at Portsmouth, but the bracelet 
is returned to Paris in season to thwart Richelieu's 
purpose. 

The climax of the plaj occurs in the fourth act. 
Cinq Mars, to have a sufficient force to resist, if neces- 
sary, the troops Richelieu has at Perpignan, makes an 
agreement with Spain by which she is to furnish him 
seventeen thousand men. This is a dangerous expedient. 
Richelieu has heard of it, and gets possession of the 
agreement while it is on the way to Spain for ratifica- 
tion. Just as Cinq Mars thinks himself master of 
France, Richelieu produces the compact, accuses him 
of treason, wins back the King, who is too weak to gov- 
ern France himself, and obtains an order for Cinq 
Mars' execution. 

Richelieu is loath to execute him. Marion begs for 
his life. But in vain. With Cinq Mars dead, the 
conspiracy is finally quelled. In the last scene Riche- 
lieu dies, just two months after Cinq Mars is beheaded. 



116 THE LION AT BAY 



SCENES 

Act I, Scene I. Richelieu's Cabinet. (Front of 
stage. ) 

Scene II. A forest scene. (Whole 
stage. ) 

Scene III. Same scene. A hunting- 
partj. 
Act II, Scene I. In front of the church. (Front 
of stage.) 

Scene II. The thwarted marriage. In- 
terior of church. (Whole stage.) 
Act III, Scene I. The conspiracy. A dimly 
lighted catacomb. (Whole stage.) 

Scene II. Richelieu's Cabinet. Same 
scene as Act I, Scene I. (Front of 
stage. ) 
Act IV, Scene I. A salon in the Louvre. 

Scene II. The denouement. The fruit- 
less intercession. Cinq Mars refuses to 
disclose the names of the conspirators. 
Act V, Scene I. A cell in the Conciergerie. 
(Front of stage.) 

Scene II. The execution. A square in 
Paris. (Whole stage.) 

Scene III. Richelieu's Cabinet. Death 
of Richelieu. (Front of stage.) 



SCENES m 

The Play could be advertised by posters : 
I. Kichelieu in scarlet cardinal robes. 
II. Cinq Mars, Grand Ecuyer, on horseback. 
III. The execution. Cinq Mars at the block. 
IV. The death of Richelieu. 



118 THE LION AT BAY 

THE LION AT BAY 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE 

Louis XIII, King of France, who reigned hut did not 
rule. 

Gaston, his brother j an enemy of Richelieu, but weak 
and pusillanimous. 

Richelieu, Lord Cardinal; a great and crafty states- 
man, of whose power the King and all his court are 
tired. 

Cinq Mars, Grand Ecuyer: a nobleman twenty-four 
years old, of much ability and magnetism; the 
King's favorite. 

De Thou, a friend of Cinq Mars; son of President 
de Thou. 

Baptiste, a Jesuit priest and factotum of Richelieu. 

Count Coligny, a Huguenot ; son of the great Ad- 
miral. 

Duke of Buckingham, an English peer, and friend of 
Charles T. 

Duke de Bouillon, a French nobleman, conspiring 
against Richelieu. 

Sevekal IsToblemkn, also conspirators. 

Grandtson, Cinq Mars' man-at-arms, an old ma/ri. 

Pere Hyacinthe, a Huguenot minister. 

Anne of Austria, Queen of France. 

Marie de Medici, widow of Henry IV, and mother 
of the Kvng. 



DRAMATIS PERSONS 119 

Marie, Princess de Gonzaga, a Spanish Austrian, 

twenty years old, in love with Cinq Mars, and with 

whom he is in love. 
Marion de Lorme, daughter of Richelieu's sister, heau- 

tiful and commanding, and in love with Cvruj 

Mars. 
Two Ruffians, employed by Baptiste. 
Isabelle, maid of the Princess de Oonzaga. 
Two Fops, courtiers and friends of Cinq Mars. 
Laubardemont, a decayed nobleman turned ruffian. 



120 THE LION AT BAY 



ACT I 

Scene I 

Time, 16U2. Richelieu's Cabinet in the Palais Car- 
dinal, now Palais Royal, Paris. Richelieu, pale and 
consumptive, fifty-eight years old, in a cardinal's 
rohes and hat, sits in an easy chair by a table spread 
over with documents, head on his hand, in deep 
thought. Baptiste and Laubardemont, the former 
dressed as a Jesuit, the latter as a mountaineer of 
the Pyrenees, are talking in undertones at side of 
stage front. 

Baptiste. You're out of luck ? 

Laubardemont. Yes. 

Baptiste. Walking on your uppers ? 

Lauhardemoni. Exactly so. 

Baptiste. How long has this been ? 

Lauhardemoni. Ever since the Cardinal destroyed 
My barony and made nobility 
A mockery. 

Baptiste. Your lands ? 

Laubardemont. A desert! 

Baptiste. Your sheep and herds ? 

Laubardernojit. Sold to the slaughterer. 

Baptiste. Your chateau ? 

Laubardemont. The prey of kites and wolves. 

Baptiste. All gone? 



ACT FIRST 121 

Lauhardemont. All gone except my skin and 

sword. 
Baptiste. And these ? 
Lauhardemont. For sale. 
Baptiste. For what ? 
Laubardemont. For any purpose brings me wine 

and bread. 
Baptiste. So low ? 

Lauhardemont. Aye, low if you will call it so ! The 
kite 
May breathe a purer air, and sweeter, too, 
Than he who grinds his nose with honest toil, 
Raising his crops for crows and usurers ; 
The mountain pass his den, and travellers 
His plunder. 

Baptiste. Among the Pyrenees ? 

Lauhardem,onL Aye, there has been my eyrie. 

Baptiste. But Paris ? 

Lauhardemont. There are no geese just now among 

the mountains. 
Baptiste. And so to Paris you have come for pluck- 
ing? 
Laubardenfiojit. (Nods.) The geese so far are 

bones and feathers. 
Baptiste. Your den? 
Lauhardemont. In Saint Antoine with Jacques, the 

slaughterer. 
Baptiste. Hush ! Soft ! The Cardinal is waking 
from 
His reverie. Begone ! We may have work 



122 THE LION AT BAY 

For you sometime. 

[Laubardemont goes outside. 

Richelieu. (Soliloquizing.) I've walked for years 
upon a sea of ice 
With panther step, expecting every day 
Would see its surface crack and let me down. 
Each step, each motion has this mirror 
Reflected to my timid King and courtiers, 
Argus-eyed with jealousy. The Queen 
Has hated me that I usurped her province, 
And ruled her lord ; whom all her wealth of beauty. 
Her stalwart mind and pride has never conquered. 

Baptiste. This scarce was happiness! 

Richelieu. Scarce happiness ? 'Twas Hell ! No 
cooling breath 
Of gratitude has fanned my fevered brow 
In twenty years. Who serves a fickle King, 
His sire, Navarre, has schooled to idle ways. 
Must watch, as sailors do, the shifting breeze ; 
Must train his sails to whirlwinds and to calms ; 
Must stake his life upon the dicer's chance. 

Baptiste. So Strafford served King Charles. 

Richelieu. And Strafford's head has paid the pen- 
alty. 

Baptiste. Is Strafford dead ? 

Richelieu. Stone dead ! Beheaded by the Lords 
and Commons. 

Baptiste. His children are attainted ? Lands are 
forfeit ? 
Must grub like dogs and swine for bread. 



ACT FIRST 123 

Richelieu. The Commons have relieved them of 

that penalty. 
Baptiste. Martyred for faithful service! 
Richelieu. The ground I tread is quicksand. Ever 
ready 
To sink or snare my feet. How Pym and Hampden, 
How Cromwell rides rough-shod across old England, 
Sharp-spurred, big-booted, clanking sword and all! 
The panther of the jungle would sigh with envy 
To see how, like a summer's breeze across 
A field of grain, I creep, with spirit-step, 
Among the purlieus of the court. 

[Richelieu is here interrupted with a fit of 
coughing. 
Baptiste. Does this not frighten you, Lord Car- 
dinal ? 
Richelieu. Not frighten me? 'Twould frighten 
Coeur de Lion ! 
It tells me my few sands of life run low. 
Ere many moons shall wane, my sad, sad journey 
I'll make alone across the Styx, with one 
Lone obolus for Charon. 

Baptiste. Were it not best to turn your thoughts 
away 
From worldly things and state affairs ? 

Richelieu. At morn and eventide! But when the 
sun 
His quadriga shall urge athwart the sky, 
Then must my watchful eyes be bent on France. 
I've strangled these proud barons till they choked, 



124 THE LION AT BAY 

Coughed lip the feudal rights they've fattened on. 
Their ancient pillars have I tumbled down. 
The state rests on one pillar royalty. 

Baptiste. And when that falls? 

Richelieu. Then all nobilities have fallen ! Then 
The people shall be sovereigns. Richelieu dead. 
I've seen the lilies grow till they 
O'ertop nobility and stand supreme. 
I would a little longer water them; 
Some other gardener might not love them so. 

Baptiste. Loves not the Queen our fleur-de-lys ? 

Richelieu. The Queen is Austrian. The quick, hot 
blood 
Of a hundred kings jumps in her purple veins. 
This daughter of the Caesars, she would rule ; 
And hold in leash the hounds of State and War, 
Or let them loose to howl, to prey, devour. 
Whene'er some idle fancy pleaseth her. 
These awful powers are not for women's wiles, 
Conceits and fantasies. This — this is why 
My schemes have kept these two apart, estranged 
By methods devilish, unless the ends 
Can answer for the means. The King twice sought 
To sow in maiden minds the seeds of love, 
And twice I've sown the weeds of charity 
And mured them both in convent walls. 

Baptiste. The King is starving for companion- 
ship. 

Richelieu. Such is the fate of Kings. Mt. Blanc 
stands all 



ACT FIRST 125 

Alone. The eagle and the glacier and 

The silent spheres, these are his bosom friends, 

Though his tall front be seen by a million eyes. 

Baptiste. The King is hungering for friendship. 

Richelieu. Yes, yes. It troubles me lest he should 
break 
The hedges I have built, lest he should burst 
His cage, like some imprisoned stag, and find 
His solace with the does and fawns. 

Baptiste. Is it not time to find him some compan- 
ion ? 

Richelieu. Aye. Man, not woman. She is hard to 
mould 
To purposes of state. Affection is her lode-star. 
She sighs to tread the flowery paths of love 
And piety. Ambition is a tree 
Of too majestic growth and foliage 
For garden lawns. Such grandeur flourishes 
In high sierras, mountain glens ; it craves 
Companionship with towering pines. 

Baptiste. And has your quest been fruitful ? 

Richelieu. What think you of Cinq Mars ? He is 
both young 
And handsome, light of heart, of princely bearing; 
A hunter and a soldier ; quick of wit ; 
And clay that may be moulded. 

Baptiste. His name was on my tongue. He has 
withal, 
Dame Rumor says, a soft, responsive nature, 
A soul attuned to statelv melodies, 



126 THE LION AT BAY 

And may be tuned to sing your song as parrots 
Can tell the tale they're taught. 

Richelieu. I know the tree from which this graft 
was cut, 
And for some days have sampled it. Convey 
To him my wish. Go say that Richelieu 
Would speak with him of matters diplomatic. 

Baptiste. At once ? 

Richelieu. At once. Before the dinner has grown 
cold 
It should be eaten. 

Baptiste. He lives at Chaumont ? 

Richelieu. On the Loire, 

Some three hours' journey on beyond Orleans. 
My horses wait your bidding. 

Baptiste. I start to-night. \^A})ruptly. 

Richelieu. (Amazed.) By carriage or on horse- 
back? 

Baptiste. (Who is very fat.) It matters not. 

Richelieu. (Smiling ironically.) But, Baptiste, 
can you ride so far ? 

Baptiste. (Boastingly .) As feathers ride upon the 
wind. 

Richeheu. (Mischievously.) I think, perhaps, a 
mule would better 
Support your bulk, or Baalam's ass. My horses' 
Frail backs have scarce the strength to carry hogsheads 
Of port. You need a coach and four. Oh, Falstaif ! 
Have you some percheron or plow-horse saddled! 
My grooms can find you one. 



ACT FIRST 127 

Bapiiste. (Confused.) I fear your Grace is po- 
king fun at me. 
Richelieu. Oh, no! No! ]^o ! But don't you 
think jour soul 
Is jeopardized by so much feasting. 

Bapiiste. (Quite serious.) I mortify the flesh. I 
do the penance 
Our order has prescribed. 

Richelieu. That nose of yours is such a monument 
Of abstinence ! It blossoms like a rose ; 
One milestone on the road to Paradise. 

Bapiiste. 'Twill never pale. It is a birthmark. 
Richelieu. Tut! Tut! Ten rosaries for that! 
Are all your fasting brothers stamped with birth- 
marks ? 
My butler ought to close the Palais vaults 
When they come here for mass. You monks, how 

hardly 
Can you, so fond of Israel's fleshpots, and rich men. 
Enter the gates of Heaven ! Look and see 
Your pattern. I can do the needle's eye. [Coughs. 

Baptisie. (Aside.) Yes; so can ghosts. 

[Goes out. After he has gone Richelieu has a 
violent fit of coughing. 
Bapiiste. (Pokes in his head.) Not long for this 

world. 
Richelieu. Ah, Baptiste, I thought that you had 

gone. 
Bapiiste. I feared that you had gone. Lord Car- 
dinal. 



128 THE LION AT BAY 

Richelieu. (With evident exhaustion.) No, not 
for many years. Go tell my niece — 
You'll find lier in the library, devouring 
Some book of love, ... I wish to see her here. 
Don't tell her that you caught me coughing ! Baptiste, 
Your tiger jaws are not fit fellowship 
For her soft cheeks, as when in childhood days 
She sat upon your knees. She's woman now. 

[Baptiste goes out and Richelieu arranges his 
robe and hair, smooths the wrinkles in his 
face, etc. Marion de Lorme, a beautiful, 
stately girl of twenty-two years, enters. 
Richelieu. Come here, my bird of paradise ! Come 
sit 
Here on this chair-arm, as in childhood's days. 

Marion. {Hesitating.) Our lady superior says I 
ought to sit 
Now at your feet. Here is an ottoman. 
'Twas thus that Mary sat at Jesus' feet. 
And Esther on Ahasuerus' footstool. 

Richelieu. Ah, Modesty! Thy name is Prudery! 
These convent-mothers are too finical. 
Well, never mind ; sit anywhere, my dear. 
If only by my heart. 

[Marion sits down, and Richelieu draws her 
head towards him, and plays with her hair. 
Richelieu. (Meditating.) My fingers love 
To play at hide and seek among your tresses. 
They revel in sweet thrills of fond delight. 
Ten years ago — ten years ! — your father died. 



ACT FIRST 129 

It seems an age ! What beauty blossomed here I 

The mother of our Lord was not more saintly 

Than you, my child, were then. Your mind of that 

Imperial mould of Margaret Angouleme, 

Navarre's grand'mere ; nor had the famed Diane 

A mien more like a goddess. How I've loved 

To see you flower into womanhood ! 

For years these were the apple of mine eye, 

The Church, dear France, and my dead sister's child. 

Come closer to me, sweetheart ! Let me hold 

Your hand and see the star-dust sparkling in 

Your wondrous eyes. I may not have you always. 

[He takes her hand and she tiirns her face up to 
his. 
Miranda's hand nestling in Calaban's ! 
The hand of Childhood in the clutch of Death ! 
A rosebud coffined in a thistle! 

[Makion shudders and draws hack. 
Oh, do not leave me, Marion ! 'Twas but 
A shadowy thought ! 

Marion. But why such gruesome spectres, uncle? 

Richelieu. (Pensively.) I know not why. I have 
great schemes for you. 
No longer nursed in convent glooms, your spirit 
Must feed upon the breath of courts and palaces ; 
Must drink the gaiety of masques and pageants ; 
Commune with courtiers, dukes, and princely dames; 
Must sip the wine of flattery, nectars 
That madden the brain and turn at last to poison. 
These hereafter are your food and drink. 



130 THE TJON AT BAY 

Mdiioii. Aiul lUv.sv linve often been my j^irlish 

(.IrcaiMs. 
h'irln'licti. Hut cloves Hlioiild never nest iiniong the 
liawka, 
Nor niaideuhootl with courtiers. 

Marion. Hut must T pine at liome and waste my 
perfumes 
In tiioae desert halls ? 

Richelieu. No, T must find some unite for you. 
Marlon. Ix't him be good, I pray, to win my love; 
Be wise, to keep respect; be brave and princely. 
To fire my admiration. 

BlchcJh'u. lie shall bo all, else lose this sparkling 
jewek 
I would not have you mate with royalty. 

Marlon. No. I would rather be a dairy maid 
Than royal })aramour. 

Richelieu, {k'itislnx/ her forehead.) Thou art thy 
father's child. How oft I've heard 
Him rail at <;reat Navarre for ehasing- tinsel 
And peacocks' plumes along the (puiys of Paris. 

Manon. {Pleased with his admiration.) I'm glad 

you think I'm not of base alloy. Papa. 
Eichelieu. Papa! Papa! The name we call the 
Pope. 
I hoped to wear that triple cro^vu, but France forbade. 
There conieth soon to court a noble count. 
His mother was my boyhood's friend, and I 
Her worshipper. Had she but smiled upon 
My suit, I iie*er had worn these priestly robes. 



ACT FIRST i:U 

1 thouglil, tJio. poarly gatOH Imd oitciicd wide 

And let soino saint, walk <l()vvn IIk; goldori slaira. 

Once, at a touriKunciit, we Hat logclluir. 

There entered in tlif lists an iiid\iio\vn kni^lil, 

Of wondrous gracd and dignity. It, seemed 

That Bayard's wlf liad cornc! again. We. won; 

'Twas 'gainst all I'' ranee;; llien came and laid liis (rliap- 

let 
Down at the feet of her I sat heside. 
My doom iiad Htrnek! liad (iod's areharigel s[)oko 
From out the clouds, I eould not felt more Hurc. 
The son of these will eonie to court, anon; 
And nhould Ik; turji his eyes upon your face, 
You'd tJiiidv the sun in all its splendor shone. 
Marion. Perhaps the glare will da/,/,le lue? 
Kichclieu. I wish it might,! No wish would lay 

its head 
Nearer my heart. And when I lay my head 
Upon thf! hosom of our M(.)thf!r I^larth, 
f wish tJiat you, my child, and Ik; I hopeid 
Would be my (;hild, would hear my pall. 

\IIe bc()vti^'i to coufjh, and, fcarimj another fd of 
coughinrj is cominrj on, .sudden/, // excbums: 
Now run away, my child, for I am tin^d. 

[Makion fjocH out. A violeni fU of coufjking at- 
tacks RiciiKLinu, and when it is over he sinks 
hack exhausted. 



132 THE LION AT BAY 



Scene II 

The Huguenot Martyrdom 

Night. An open space in a forest. In the centre a 
cross, surrounded hi/ dry fagots. A young priest, 
Ukbain Gkandiek, and a young wotnan, Jioanne 
Laubardemont, both i)i ivhite robes, and. a dozen 
Huguenots, come, with a procession of Capucin 
priests, singing the " Hymn of the Huguenots." 
Gkandikr is then tied to the cross by a priest. The 
hymn continues, as an excited crowd assembles. The 
priests form a circle round the cross, and as each 
verse is sung, chant a funeral dirge to drown this 
hymn. 

O Lord, our Shepherd, Saviour, glorious King, 
Who Israel led through desert wastes and sea, 
A cloud by day, a beacon light by night, 
Shield us beneath the shadow of Thy wing! 
Comfort Thy children, longing to be free ; 
And as our spirits take from earth their flight, 
Oh, steel our hearts ! Oh, give us grace ! 
And as Death strikes, show us, O God, Thy face ! 
A Young Girl in the crowd. Poor man! His face 

tells of his suft'erings ! 
They stretched him on the rack, and screwed his 

thumbs. 
He groaned and writhed sometimes. Recant he would 

not. 



ACT FIRST 133 

First Woman. JS'o ccrrpse was ever whiter than his 

face. 
Second Woman. Why did he not recant? Had he 
but turned 
His face towards Homo, the thumbscrews had been 
loosened. 
Firsi Woman. Recant? He's no turncoat. 
Third Woman. An obstinate, rebellious goat! 
Some Man. Because ho would not bend to Riche- 
lieu's will! 
Another Man. No tyrant ever held a tighter rein ! 
[Second verse of hymn sung. 
Attune our trembling tongues to sing our song 
With clear, firm voice as Death its victim takes. 
Oh, let that faith that stayed the martyr's tread, 
As we the scaffold mount, keep our steps strong! 
And when the gleaming axe the headsman shakes 
And we upon the block lay down our head, 
O Thou who hadst upon the cross no fear, 
To each, Thy brother ! then draw near, draw near ! 
[Low funeral chant hy the priests to drown the 
hymn. 
First Woman. Death holds the reins. They're fixed 
between his teeth. 
He coughs up blood already! 

Young Girl. Is Richelieu a king? 
Third Woman. Yes, king of kings! He holds the 
keys 
Of life and death, aye, Heaven and Hell. 

First Woman. These are the attributes of God! 



134 THE LION AT BAY 

Third Woman. The Pope has Peter's keys. And 
Peter was 
The Lord's vicegerent, held the keys of Hell ; 
And Richelieu is the Pope's anointed son. 

First Woma7i. Our royal Louis would not soil his 
hands 
With such foul dirt as this low Grandier. 

A Soldier. Silence ! You scolding termagants ! 
Unless 
You stop your tongues I'll tear them out with pincers. 
l^The women are frightened and move back into 
the crowd. 
Soldier. (To the Girl.) Come back, my pretty 
doe ! Don't run away ! 
My bark is fiercer than my bite. [Singing continues. 
May visions of the streets of Paradise, 
Of those bright pavements that the martyrs tread, 
Of that seraphic choir that chants Thy praise 
In shining robes, illume our dying eyes! 
Oh, may some guiding light its glories shed 
Whene'er our souls their fluttering pinions raise ! 
Dear Lord, from out the clouds reach down Thy hand 
As our eyes close upon this fading land. 

[4 priest sets the fagots on fire. Cinq Mars and 
De Thou watch the scene from the side of 
the stage. 
Cinq Mars. Fierce factions have for generations 
stained 
The soil of France with its best blood, — one faction, 
Then another. 



ACT FIRST 135 

De Thou. The river at Amboise was red with blood 
When hundreds went unshrived to Heaven. 

Cinq Mars. Bartholomew's dread day! It shook 
the world ! 
Men washed their hands in blood as tigers bathe 
Their burning paws in water. 

De Thou. The Huguenots have fled from France 
as doves 
Fly cotes that robber hands once rifled. 

Cinq Mars. The King can stop these holocausts. 

De Thou. x\nd would if piously enlightened. 

Cinq Mars. Have thou no fear! For I will now 
besiege 
His heart with prayers till I have gained a charter 
For each to worship God, whate'er his creed, 
And when and where and how his sovereign wish 
Inclines. This vow I register in Heaven. 



Scene III 
As a hunting-party passes hy, enter Gaston, Marie 

DE GONZAGA and COLIGNY. 

Gaston. Oh, we have had rare sport to-day. 
Coligny. How your royal father had enjoyed it ! 
Marie. Navarre's white plume had distanced every 
lance — 
Been earliest at the death. 

Gaston. How many stags has Buckingham ? 



136 THE LION AT BAY 

Coligmj. The last he killed was tenth. 

Gaslon. lie is a very devil with his bow! 

Coligny. A Kobin Jlood! In all the English court 
No one can match big Buckingham. 

Gaston. King Charles has bested him sometimes, 
so says, 
Beneath the rose, my royal sister. \ Laughing. 

And surely wives should know their husbands' virtues. 
One day in Richmond Park he struck twelve bucks, 
And shot at worthy distance. 

Coligny. Another Bobin Tlood ! But royal stags 
Are hamstrung to await the royal favor. 

Gaslon. True! True! Their parsnips are all but- 
tered ! 

Marie. What lion-hoarts those English have for 
sports ! 

Gaslon. And always had. The churls that CoBur 
de Lion 
Marshalled to Palestine, tow-headed Saxons, 
Were mad for bows and bills, for hammer-throwing, 
Hurling the bar. Why, Cocur de Lion's self 
Swung full two stone of lead within his axe-head. 

Marie. Our English cousins, like their oaks, are 
stern 
And gnarled and knotted; oftentimes their tongues, 
Ill-fashioned for our knightly courtesies, 
But true as is the needle to the pole : 
We love them for the enemies they make. 

Gaslon. Our Henrietta rides to hounds full well. 
But Charles should teach her archery. She loves 



ACT FIRST 137 

Too mucli fetes and levees, and fields of gold 
For England's Queen, I fear. 

Marie. All graces grow beneath the wand of love. 
This great enchanter makes all pastures green. 
He gives a golden lining to each cioufl, 
The sun by dfiy, the moon to illume the night; 
I'he hill of difliculty seems a stride, 
And fens and bogs have all a silver sheen, 
And every arrow's tipt with golden fire. 

{They go off. 
[Enter Marie de Mkdtci and 1)e Thou. 

Queen Dowager. He is a cunning fox. I held the 
ladder 
By which he climbed to royal favor. I taught 
My son to love him. Gratitude like his 
Would starve a snail! Honey would be wormwood 
Beside the sweetness his smooth lips distil ! 
Ye shades of Machiaveili ! This lean priest 
Forgets more every night than you e'er knew 
Of craft and damned deceits and deviltries ! 
When great l^avarre lay dying, faintly breathed 
His trembling lips: " Our I>ouis' heafl is soft, 
A plaything in the hands of craft. Beware ! " 
Because my mother's Heart would guide the King 
I'd nursed and cradled, this Satan dungeoned me: 
Convoyed me away and chained me up in Blois. 

De Thou. But you escaped — and how ? 

Queen Dovmger. Have you ne'er heard ? 

De Thou. No, ne'er from lips that knew. 

Queen Dowager. Bundled in a basket, as Moses was. 



138 THE LION AT BAY 

The shades of night my screen from argiis eyes: 

Let down by ropes from out a palace window 

As thieves sneak out from treasuries they've rifled. 

De Thou. A dizzy risk for such an argosy. 

Queen Dowager. But better that than starving heart 
and dense, 
Black, maddening solitude, the sport of Fortune 
And scorn of courtiers once had worshipped me. 

[They walk off. 
[Enter Cinq Mars and Marion de Lorme. 

Marion. But tell me more of England. 

Cinq Mars. It is a lovely isle, buttressed upon 
Four seas ! Her giant cliffs, that rear their pale 
Inviting faces, smile and seem to say : 
Here are sweet homes, delicious memories ; 
And Ocean her great diapasons shouts 
As some grand organ thunders through the heart. 
Those cirling mists that veil her from the sun, 
They keep the mother and her children fresh ; 
Here dwells a race of stalwart, conquering men 
Have scoured the seas from Arctic unto Ind, 
A race of empire-builders, whose proud crest 
All peoples 'neath the sun have bowed before : 
Their cannon-shots shall echo 'round the globe. 

Marion. But royalty is on its knees ? 

Cinq Mars. The puny royalty of kings, not peoples ! 
The men who hold the rudder, shuttle, plow, 
And beckon 'cross the seas to other lands. 
And weave and spin and fashion spiders' webs 
For their and other climes — these now are King. 



ACT FIRST 139 

When once the Commons sent their leaders forth 

To seek King James, " Set out twarl thrones ! Here 

come 
Twarl Kings ! " he said, as they drew near. 

Marion. But Hampden, Pym and Selden, Crom- 
well, who 
Are these, whose names the North Wind shouts above 
The roaring sea of revolution ? 

Cinq Mars. These too are empire-builders ! They 
would make 
Their fatherland a freeman's land as well. 

Marion. Those Puritans, pray who are they ? 

Cinq Mars, Short-haired, high-browed, stern-vis- 
aged, honest men, 
Who love the home that Piety has built, 
Hate churchly idols, courts and purple pride ; 
Would bow the knee to God where'er He dwells, 
In forest or in fen, and read the Book 
With their own eyes and in their native tongue; 
Set Freedom's cap aloft and bow to it, 
Not bow to wooden gods. 

Marion. And some have breasted western seas ? 

Cinq Mars. To build there altars, scatter freedom's 
seed 
In that far western world. These seeds shall grow 
As once the dragon's teeth, sown broadcast, grew, 
Into a race of giants. 

Marion. This rage for freedom frightens me! 

Cinq Mars. Resisted, it may swamp all royalties. 
'Tis like the might of ocean's surging tides. 



140 THE LION AT BAY 

That climb, recede, but climb ai^ain and conquer. 

[As they are walking sloiuly off, tliey pass the 
embers, and Cinq Mars stirs them luiih his 
sword. 
Marion. Is this where Grandier was burnt '^ 
Cinq Mars. The very place! The embers are scarce 
cold. 
These are the embers of that fire we call 
The massacre of St. Bartholomew ! 
O France — fair France ! Dear mother of us all ! 
Your children have for decades poured their blood, 
Their wealth, their honor, everything held dear, 
Into one sacred urn, and lighted it 
With tire invoked from Heaven. Oft, too oft. 
This altar was a funeral pyre whose smoke 
Had faded into nothingness. And yet 
The horrid holocaust goes on. [They go off the stage. 
[Enter the Quken and Dukk of Bijckinchiam. 
Baptistk leatches tJiem, unseen by ttietn,. 
Buekingham. I soon must speak the saddest of all 

words. 
Queen. Pray what is that ? 
Buchingh a tn. Fa rewell. 
Queen. And must you turn your prow towards 

England soon ? 
Buckingham. To-night T start for Calais. Such, 
alas. 
The orders of King Charles ! 

Queen. We all shall miss your joyous, shining pres- 
ence. 



ACT FIRST 141 

The court, from King to servitor, has rung 
With praise of noble Buckingham. 

Buckingham. 1 thank your gracious Majesty. 'Tis 
some [Bowuig low. 

Slight recompense for sorrow. 

Queen. I thought your court not tuned to flattery. 

\^Arc}dy. 
Buckingham. And you thought rightly. English 
tongues, somehow, 
Can never trip to courtly measures. 

Queen. And yet, were you an Irish duke, I might 
Suppose you'd kissed the Blarney stone. 

Buckingham. I fear your Majesty makes jest of me. 
Queen. Then pardon me, your Grace ! At such a 
time 
My idlest word would fly on raven's wings. 

Buckingham. Perhaps I might make bold to beg 
some token, 
Some souvenir as a remembrancer 
Of this delightful visit ? 

Queen. Are not its memories sufficient? [Archly. 
Buckingham. But memories are unsubstantial to- 
kens. 
Queen. And fade perhaps? \Coquettishly. 

Buckingham.. Some memories will never fade ! 
Queen. Tut ! Tut ! You must not flatter ! 

[Putting her finger to her lip. 
'Tis not the custom of your court, you know. 

Buckingham. May I not beg that locket — that 
jewelled rose 



142 THE LION AT BAY 

Suspended round an alabaster vase ? 

Queen. It was his Majesty endowed this gift 
Upon our wedding-day. His picture is 
Within. 

Buckingham. May I not beg this bracelet? You 
have dozens, 
Doubtless, of jewels prized more highly. 

Queen. What would you do with it? You are a 
man 
And could not wear it. 

Buckingham. But I would lock it with my choicest 
gems. 
Within my holiest of holies, among 
My decorations, jewels of the Garter 
And Golden Fleece. 

Queen. And never show it? Play the braggart? 
Say, 
'Twas Anne of Austria gave this to me ? 

Buckingham. No, never ! On my honor as a knight 
And gentleman. 

Queen. Then take it. It is yours. [Impulsively. 
[He takes off the hracelet and as he does so kisses 
her hand fervently. 

[Enter the King and Gaston, his brother. 
Gaston. We all are tired of his tyrannies. 
This glutton's stuffed with pelf his claws have filched ! 
One palace now outshines Mahal, that jewel 
On India's breast whose wonders starve the world. 
His nose, his lackeys, spies are everywhere. 
Our boudoirs are not safe, our secret closets 



ACT FIRST 143 

Some minion of the Cardinal may open. 

[Enter the Dowager Queen and De Thou. De 
Thou and Buckingham, as the conversation 
is about state affairs, join each other and 
withdraw. 
There is no tongue in all the court but bites him. 
Our mother he has baited like a dog : 
He walled her up in Blois, and hunted her 
As if she were some pheasant, he a falcon. 
King. What says our royal mother? 
Queen Dowager. Oh, Richelieu is merciless ! More 
tears 
Than crystal drops in yon carafe this Satan 
Has wrung from me. Not tears of wounded pride, 
But drops of blood distilled from my red heart! 
Do mothers give their children suck, and live 
Upon their baby breath as bees on honey, 
To dwell alone like starving nuns in convents 
Where their sweet babes are Kings ? 

[Enter Cinq Mars and Coligny. 
King. Wliat says Cinq Mars, the idol of the Court ? 
Cinq Mars. 'Twas Richelieu ensconced me here. 
'Twere strange 
Ingratitude to turn state's evidence 
Against my friend. 

King. But speak the truth ! Your King com- 
mands ! T dare 
To hear it now and here. 

Cinq Mars. Then this T say, I never yet have known 
The tongue of courtier sugar his sentiments: 



144 THE LION AT BAY 

His words are steeped in gall and vinegar. 

King. What says our faithful counsellor, Coligny? 

Coligny. I hate this stonny petrel, this firebrand 
Dissembler, fox dressed in a lion's skin. 
We beg for freedom, the right to worship God 
Both when and where, yea, how we please, no more. 
Religious wars have drenched fair France with blood: 
From every chateau, house-top, church and tower 
One universal voice cries : " Peace, peace, peace." 
Since St. Bartholomew's mad hunt of death, 
When my sweet father fell as falls the stag, 
One deluge, then another 's swept o'er France ; 
Wliile Richelieu reigns our ark will never rest 
Upon the peaceful head of Ararat. 
He slaughters Huguenots like swine. 

King. I thank you one and all for this brave 
counsel. 
My royal consort and myself will this 
Advice digest, assimilate, and act 

Upon ere long. ITlie rest go out. 

These cares of state are no ethereal mists 
Which float away with sunshine's balmy breath. 
More like those iron caskets soldiers wear. 
The gauntlets, greaves and coats-of-mail they groan 
Beneath. 

Queen. But if your Majesty would let me help 
To bear your load, and be your wife and helpmeet. 
Your cares might weigh less heavily. 

King. Well spoke, beloved Queen ! It shall be so I 
Some clouds have hung of late about the horizon 



ACT FIRST 145 

Of love and happiness ; nor were they all 
Of our assembling. May they fade away ! 

[Embraces her. 
Why wear you not to-day my favorite bracelet? 
Please grace your arm with it at our next pageant. 

[Theij walh off. 
[Baptiste, ivlio has been concealing himself dur- 
ing this ivhole scene in the edge of the forest, 
comes out on the stage with an anxious looJc. 
Baptiste. So doves delight to bill and c^ and toy 
With Love in soft, enamoured dalliance ! 
Ah ! When the hawk's away the doves will p 
But when he hurtles through the sky or swoops 
Upon their sweet, innocuous delights, 
Their notes of joy grow hoarse as ravens' cries. 
I'll hence to Richelieu. The hawk must know 
These angel messengers of peace are on 
The wing and hovering o'er the Louvre. 

[Conceals himself as De Thou and Marion enter. 
De Thou. How beautiful your Palais Cardinal! 
Its hooded towers and dreamy colonnades 
Enchain the mind in ecstasies of bondage. 

Marion. The gold that lay entombed in Ophir 
scarce 
Excels the quarries of our Paris. This wealth 
Is cleft and hewn and sawn to milk-white blocks 
And piled up mountains high in towers and bastions, 
Is chiselled into gargoyled oafs and elfs 
Which Time's encrusting hand invests with robes 
Of immortality. 



146 THE LION AT BAY 

De Thou. What Wolsey reared at Hampton Court 
your uncle 
Reduplicates, embellishes. 

Marion. This is but one of many palaces. 
Chinon's proud keep, and that ethereal Abbey 
Where great Plantagenet and T.ion-TIeart 
Wait Gabriel's trump, are both his treasure-trove. 
De Thou. No prelate in our land has climbed so 
high 
In one short score of years. He holds in leash 
The lions of both state and war, and hurls 
The Church's thunderbolts. 

Marion. Their fangs will soon be drawn ! Another 
god, 
A younger one, aspires to be the thunderer ; 
Conspiracy is rampant, seeks to snatch 
The sceptre from his grasp, to give the ship 
Of state another helmsman. Youth and strength 
Are flying. Ponce de Leon's spring of life 
My uncle famishes to taste — alas ! 
This font perennial of eternal youth 
No eye has seen, no foot will ever find. 
Has Cinq Mars gone ? 

De Thou. I left him with the Princess. 

[Marion manifests jealousy. 
[They go out. Baptiste comes out of his hiding 
and goes off on tiptoe. 



ACT SECOND 147 

ACT II 

Scene I 

At the Altar — Hope Deferred 

Midnight. Dark and rainy; lightning occasionally. 
Cinq Mars and the Princess de Gonzaga are in full 
dress of the period of Louis XIII. Have ju~st come 
from the Queen's reception. The raising of the 
curtain discloses in the middle of the stage the en- 
trance and steps of a church. Grandison, an old 
servitor of Cinq Mars, in powdered wig and black 
small-clothes, heavily muffled in a cloak, enters side 
of stage. 

Grandison. (Shivering.) How cold! How dark 
and gruesome ! 'Not a step 
Awoke the silence of Saint Honore 
Or old Pont Nenf, nor till I reached the statue 
Of Henry Fourth. There lightning played queer 

pranks 
Ahout his head, and lighted up two ruffians 
Who sat there muffled like some Snanish brigand, 
Playing rat-tat to keep their feet from freezing. Soon 
Old Notre Dame will toll the hour of twelve. 

Cinq Mars. (Who approaches heavily muffled.) Ah, 

Grandison, how long have you been here? 
Grandison. A quarter-hour, your Grace. 
Cinq Mars. Pere Hyacinthe — has he not come ? 



148 THE LION AT BAY 

Grandison. Not yet, your Grace. 
Cinq Mars. He will be here ere long? 
Grandison. Surely by twelve, he said. 
Cinq Mars. Have you the key ? 
Grandison. I have, your Grace. 
Ci7iq Mars. Unlock the door ! 

[Grandison unlocks the church door and Cinq 
Mars enters. Grandison relocks the door, 
and stands beside it. 
Grandison. What magic power has love! Naught 
frightens it. 
On such a night, when Paris yawns with sleep 
And goblins haunt the corners of the streets, 
A timid dove will brave cyclones of rain, 
A gloom so palpable a knife can cut it. 
To hear one sweet, soft voice coo in its ears. 
Hark, here she comes ! 

[The cathedral clock tolls twelve. 

[Marion de Gonzaga, closely veiled and muffled 

againsi the rain, comes from the side of the 

stage, opposite from Cinq Mars' entrance, 

with her maid. 

Isabelle. Here is the church. Mile, la Princesse. 

Marie. {To Grandison.) Your master, has he 

come ? 
Grandison. Just now, your royal Highness. He 

has entered. 
Marie. Unlock the door. 

[Grandison unlocks the door. Marie enters. 
, Grandison relocks it and resumes his place. 



ACT SECOND 1^9 

Grandison. Have yon met any one ? 
Isabelle. No, not a soul! Oh, yes, two men, two 
beggars 
Were watching out the night at Henry's statue. 

Grandison. Strange place for Poverty to warm 
itself ! 
But our Kina; lienrv, he had suffered much: 
His form In bronze, like life, sheds warmth around. 
You saw no solitary Huguenot ? 
Isabelle. No, no one else. 

Grandison. You're cold, my child. Go hide your- 
self, until 
I call, within the western portal. 

[Isabelle goes off. After she has gone two ruf- 
fians rush upon the stage, seize Grandison, 
gag him to keep him quiet, tic his hands he- 
hind him, feel in his pockets, find the key. 
Baptiste, cloaked like a Huguenot, with the 
hood of his cloak over his face, enters and 
takes the key from one of the ruffians. 
Baptiste. Are both inside? 
Ruffian. Yes, both. 

Baptiste. And Hyacinthe has not appeared ? 
Ruffian. No, only the lady's maid. 
Baptiste. Begone! Not far away! You know my 

whistle ? 
Ruffian. Yes; don't the father know his child? 
Baptiste. {Startled.) I have no child. 
Ruffian. (Incredulously.) No more had Solomon, 
with all his wives. 



150 THE LION AT BAY 

Baptiste. Here, take this key, unlock the door, and 
when 
You hear my whistle, wings, put wings. 
Upon your feet. 

Ruffian. I fear they would not suit. For wings, 
you know. 
Fit only angels' feet. 

Baptiste. Unloose, ungag the knave, and place him 
there 
Within the western portal. 

[They lead Gkandison away after unlocking the 
door for Baptiste to enter, and relocking it. 
Presently Peee Hyacinthe, dressed as a 
Huguenot minister, comes to the church door 
in great haste. He tries it, finds it locked, 
knocks, knocks several times, waits awhile, 
tries it again; is deeply disappointed. Walks 
about to find entrance, looks at his watch. 
Pere Hyacinthe. Can I have disappointed them — 
these two, 
Dearer to me than my two eyes, my life ; 
Whose path of love has been through snares and briars 
That pricked and tore their feet at every step ? 
Married in Heaven ! Divorced by man's base law ! 
This night, when Nature has grown mad and rants 
And raves in her delirium, has kept 
Them both at home. Sore disappointment ! 

[After tryhig the door again, and looking about, 
he walks off. 



ACT SECOND 151 



Scene II 

The scene now shifts, disclosing the interior of the 
church, dark, and lighted only by the red lamp in 
front of the altar at back of the stage. At the altar 
are disclosed Cinq Mars and Makie kneeling. Bap- 
TisTE is in a side-chapel or confessional, almost un- 
seen. Cinq Mars and Marie remain at the altar in 
silent prayer awhile and then come forward. 

Cinq Mars. Dark the labyrinths of fate! How 
strange that we, 
Here at this dead of night, when all the world 
Is cradled in dreams, here in this church, alone 
With God, should seal our marriage vows ! 
Had you, Marie, been peasant and not princess, 
Or had I worn a coronet of France, 
Sunshine and flowers, smiles and songs of joy 
Had met me bringing home my bride. 

Marie. Would we might plight our troth where 
peasants can, 
In courts above ! Speak not so loud, for walls 
Have ears, sometimes. 

Cinq Mars. Not these to-night. Each door was 
sealed long hours 
Ago. 'Twas swept of all intruders. 

Marie. Pere Hyacinthe is here ? 

Cinq Mars. Yes. Heard you not his key unlock the 
door? 
He waits in some confessional. The Queen, 



152 THE LION AT BAY 

Knows she your purpose 'i 

Marlr. Ali, no! Nor that I left the dance. Oh, 
llouri, 
How do I IrtMuhlo! Scarcely can I ispcak! 
Tliis ph\co ! The hour! No ^luirds ! No witnesses! 
Midnif:;ht! The thinnlor'n voiee ! J^ightning and 

rain ! 
'I'ho moaning wiiuM Pdack tombs! — Their ghostly 

tenants 
Arc not tit bridesmaids for a princess! 

Cinq Mars. I know it well, alas! tuo well, ami 
would 
Tt were not so. 

Marie. But this conspiracy '^ Is Ivich(>li(Mi doomed '< 
Have you the headsman ready ? 

Citiq Mars. We cannot fail. The King has prom- 
ised us. 
Marie. But kings have pn^nisod so bcroi'(\ 
Cijiq Mars. 'Vhv Quoon has giviMi her liand in 

friendship. 
Marie. And she is constancy, but powerlt^ss. 
The chains she binds her husband with an^ silk; 
No, spider's wob, as unsubstantial, fragile 
As mooidieams are. 

Cinq Mars. But CJastt^n, lie lias sworn (o aid us. 
Marie. Ah! Gaston is hut putty, lit to slop 
A hole, not hold in adamantine grip 
A mad conspiracy. 

Cinq Mars. The Court, the courtiers all are stretch- 
ing out 



ACT SECOND \J)^ 

Thoir hands to st,ranp!;Io this sick prioHt. 

Marie. But coiirtiorK, thoy arc woathercocks ; anrl 
when 
"^I^ho wind blows oa.sf, will fnco Iho, oast, 
And wlicn thn wostcrn wind altn In iho, sail, 
Thoy face to westward. 

Cinq Mars. Tho Due df P>oiiillon is chief adjutant. 

Marie. Now, there's a man! UlysROfl ifl his namol 
In courage, honor, craft he stands supreme. 
Tll-luck has always chased him down ihe wind : 
Charybdis, 8cylla, or Calypso's isle, 
One always wrecks his ar/]^osics. 

Cinq Mars. Throw not, cold water on our ontcrprisel 
Your name is not, Cassandra. 

Marie. Nor am I Icarus, to fly ho near 
The sun as melt my winp:s. 

Cinq Mars. Kichelieu is lying on his grave. 

Marie. ITaR lain there years! Tie laughs at Death 
Whose sickness i.s I'ncurnble. Cats have 
Nine lives, some say, hnl Kifliellcn has twenty. 

Cinq Mars. His henchman, T'apU.ste . . . 

Marie. His shadow, rather! 

Cinq Mars. Tlf; has nr) love for him. 

Marie. Nor any one except himself. 

Cinq Mars. T^aptiste would poison him. fio has 
been heard 
To say as much. 

Marie. Worms to catch sculpins! Eaptiste hopes 
the j)rirnale 
Will make of him a bishof). If some f)ne 



154 ^rill'] LION AT BAY 

Would soak liiiu in a tun of Burp^indy ! 
Ilimdrods are hanging on such hopes. 

I Haptistio is heard to more u.twnsiJy in the coiv- 
fessio)uil. 

Cinq Mars. {Lislriiin<j.) Our i'v'w\n\ likos host 
(lio cup of (liarity. 

Mane. It griovos mo to ofTcMid him. Kicholioii 
Conimaiids an arniv dowti in r('r|)ii;'naii. 

(^iiKj Mars. And I anollicr. Tlir harons in revolt, 
Each from his province, hrings his vassals, serfs, 
What volunteers h(> ean. We meet this night 
To consummate our plans. 

Marie. Where 'i 

Cinq Mars. At Marion's, 

Marie. (Widi jealousj/.) At Marion's! Can your 
troops match with KichclItMi's ? 

Ciiiq Mars. If not, tlu>n Spain will lend her aid 
with soldiers. 
Full seventeen thousand. 

Marie. What, Spaing Will Spain send soldiers 
into l<'ranct> 
■^I'o tight 'gainst FnMichmcn? 

Cinq ^fars. A treaty is agreed and waits n\y seal. 
If dire necessity shall force my feet 
Close to this precipice, I'll try this leap; 
Not otJierwisc. 

Marie. Is this not treason? 

Cinq Mars. Treason if faihire f(dlows, glory if not I 
'Tis strange how narrow is that line divides 
The patriot from traitor; him who founds 



ACT SECOND 155 

A nation, hears a nation's hallelujahs 
Ringing within his ears, is sepulchred 
In millions of warm hearts, from him 
Who, when the cap is drawn across his eyes 
Upon the scaffold, hoars a million curses, 
Anathemas and jeers, and then is thrown 
To dogs, unburied, on the Potter's Fiehh 

Marie. This makes me shudder! My flesh begins 
to creep ! 
How if you win ? 

Cinq Mars. Then I am Constable of France, and 
naught 
Forbids our public banns. 
Marie. How if you lose? 
Cinq Mars. IIojmj sickens at the thought. 

[Here Bapti.stk walks oul of the confessional and 
out at the western portal. They see Jiiin. and 
call, " Pere Ilyacinlhe! Vere Ilyacinlhe! " 
Cinq Mauh follows him to the door and calls 
after him. Tsabelle, who has been wait- 
ing oul side, comes in. They both go up to 
her. 
Saw you Pere Hyacinthe ? 

Isabelle. T saw a monk, cloaked like a Huguenot. 
Cinq Mars. Of sweet and saintly countenance? 
Isabelle. A face of vinegar, wine-stained and angry. 
A brow whereon a thimder-cloud was seated ! 
Marie. This could not be Pere Hyacinthe. 
Cinq Mars. Not he? Who was it, then ? 

[Grandison comes in, with hlood upon his face. 



156 THE LION AT BAY 

Qra.ndkon. Woe! Woe! Oh, my poor master ! You 
poor Princess ! 
Now wring your hands ! Now woe}), weep scalding 

tears ! 
For Satan has encompassed you ; the Devil 
Has strangled justice, honor, truth, and love! 

Cinq Mars. Your face is scarred! There's blood! 

How were you hurt ? 
Grandison. Not I! Not I! But you, my master! 
You, 
Sweet Princess! Robbed! Oh, would that I might 

suffer 
For you ! My Grace, my father — no — your Grace, 
Your father, were he here, would flay his serf. 
That ever this day came and I survived it! 

Cmq Mars. Be still ! Stop ! Cahn yourself ! 
What troubles you '^ 
Why, why this fright'^ This flagellation? 
Grandison. Did you not see him ? 
Cinq Mars. Him ! Whom ? 
Grandison. Baptiste ! Baptiste, the Jesuit! 
Cinq Mars. That was Baptiste? And not Pere 

Hyacinthe ? 
Grandison. Yes! Yes! True! True! They gagged 
me, stole the key ; 
And Baptiste took the key and entered. 

Marie. He then heard everything, knows every- 
thing. [/// terror. 
Cinq Mars. Knows everything . . . and Ilichelieu, 
too . . . will. 



ACT SECOND 157 

Marie. Have faith ! Xo harm will come. All men 
have loved. 
The child that ambles at its mother's knee, 
The helle of sweot sixteen, the anchorite. 
All who have hearts have kissed sweet Love. 
Yes, Richelieu himself once loved! 

Cinq Mars. The Queen, the Church, Fair France, 
himself. JSTone else! 
Ambition rules. That thistle of the mind 
Has rooted out the rose that ^rew there once ! 

Marie. Then God have pity on us ! Let us hope 
The rose, mayhap, has choked the weed ! 

Cinq Mars. This treaty must be signed at once ! 
Then Spain 
Will fight against him. War to the knife! 
No grace for Cardinalites ! And no quarter ! 



158 THE LION AT BAY 

ACT III 

Scene I 

The Conspiracy and Enrollment 

The same evening, later. A room vaulted like the cata- 
combs. Whole stage dimly lighted. Enter Marion 

DE LOEME. 

Marion. My heart beats fiercely like some prisoned 
bird 
Pounding itself against its iron cage ! 
Since lisping youth I've languished in a convent 
And fed on roots and creeds and piety; 
Stale books and marble saints my boon companions. 
My childhood coasted down the hill of life 
As boys down snowy steeps. My lonely heart, 
If heart I had, was stone. Cinq Mars has touched it 
With Promethean fire. Is he some Grecian god 
IvTew lighted on this sphere, Antinous 
Reborn, Endymion ? Waste places spring 
To life ! The desert blooms with flowers of May. 
The bloom, the flush of fever burns my cheeks. 
Some spark electric sets my soul on fire. 
I wandered once in vales of asphodel ; 
Now thistles sting my feet, and passion-flowers 
And blood-stained tulips paint my pathway red. 
The moonlight of philosophy no longer 



ACT THIRD 159 

Distils its essence in my veins. Ah, now 

Volcanic fires spout flame and smoke. I bum 

With expectation. Here, to-night, and soon, 

The King's friends meet. New light illumes my eyes. 

My uncle's iron hand has gripped too long 

The conscience of the King. Now France must have 

A respite from his tyrannies. 

[Enter Cinq Mars excitedly. 

Cinq Mars. The great god Fortune is a cruel god ! 

Marion. You seem perturbed ! 

Cinq Mars. 'T would shake the nerves of Vulcan ! 

Marion. Where have you been ? 

Cinq Mars. To church. 

Marion. But you must calm yourself. 

Ci7iq Mars. True ! True ! I must be calm. 

Marion. {Eagerly.) Have you the bracelet? 

Cinq Mars. Not yet! 

Marion. Not yet ? 

Cinq Mars. One man I sent to fetch it has just now 
Come back from Portsmouth, but had it not. 
Another waits, and naught will stay his hand 
But Death. 

Marion. Have you no other news ? 

Cinq Mars. Yes, Buckingham is dead. 

Marion. Dead? 

Cinq Mars. Dead. Murdered. 

Marion. Murdered ? 

Cinq Mars. Stabbed in his chamber by one Felton, 
A mad fanatic: drove his dagger deep enough 
To let out all his life-blood. But my Swiss 



160 THE LION AT BAY 

Had handed him my missive and was waiting 
In his boudoir for his answer. 

Marion. My Queen ! My hapless Queen ! i!^o 
courtier yet 
Has touched the chords of Anne of Austria's heart 
And wakened them to ecstasies of joy 
Till noble Buckingham. Two days, and then 
The King's reception comes. My uncle knows, 
For Baptiste saw the Duke unclasp the fatal 
Jewel : and never will he let our King 
Forget its absence. 

Cinq Mars. She must be beggar for more time. 
Marion. But Louis' jealousy has now been fanned 
To furnace heat ! 

Cinq Mars. What man can do, my Swiss will do. 

Marion. How many will be here to-night ? 

Cinq Mars. Full thirty, armed with hope and their 

good swords. 
Marion. And Gaston, too ? 

Cinq Mars. Not he. We have his promise, though. 
[Men in masl's begin to come in, whom Marion 
and Cinq Mars greet cordially and converse 
with quietly, among them De Thou. When 
he enters Cinq Mars takes him aside, and 
Marion and the Duke de Bouillon re- 
ceive. 
(In an undertone.) How came you here, dear friend? 

How learned you this ? 
This is no place for you ! This air is poisonous. 
Who enters here, behind him stalks the headsman. 



ACT THIRD 161 

De Thou. Where danger lurks for you, there is my 

home. 
Cinq Mars. In friendship's name, I beg you will 

withdraw. 
De Thou. In friendship's name, I beg you let me 

stay. 
Cifiq Mars. These are conspirators against RicKe- 

lieu. 
De Thou. I am his enemy as well as you. 
Cinq Mars. Our hands may soon be red with trea- 
son. 
De Thou. Your hands are not quite alabaster now. 
Too late ! These others know me. Should I withdraw 
'Twould cast a shadow o'er your enterprise. 

[Bouillon comes up and shakes hands with De 
Thou. 
Bouillon. We need such Nestors here to-night. 
Cinq Mars. Have all our friends assembled ? 
Bouillon. Yes, all but Gaston. 
Cinq Mars. Gave all the countersign ? 
Bouillon. All said : " Death to King Richelieu." 
Cinq Mars. Friends of the King and enemies of 
Richelieu ! 
Lovers of France ! Haters of tyranny ! 
Who slew the Count de Soissons ? Montmorency ? 
Who slaughters Huguenots like swine ? Degrades 
Our Parliaments ? Humbles our peers and marechals ? 
Who sells our offices ? Who sucks our blood ? 
Who makes our nobles, barons bite the dust? 
Who lashes Freedom's back with bloody scars ? 



1G2 THE LION AT BAY 

Who stiimps liis oftigy tipon our coins 

And I'nuns tlioni down our throats? These are his 

pinchbecks! | 77/ro«'//ic/ a Jiandful on the floor. 

Who stamps upon our laws 'i Tears off the robe 
Of majesty from God's anointed King? 
Throttles our priests ; smears them witli foul disgrace ? 
What anchorite in France escapes his blows ? 
Who would be papal patriarch of France, 
And forge the thunderbolts of Church and state? 
Who grabbed with greedy claws old Fontevrault, 
And stuffed great Chinon's keep into his maw? 
Who drives on fiery wheels a chariot 
That blazes as the sun outshines a star 
And {):iles the radiance of our great King's? 
Who builds a palace that o'ertops the Louvre, 
And costlier than Taj Mahal, that gem 
That gleams on India's breast ? 

[Cries of - RicheUeu! " "Monster!" ''Ty- 
rant!" " Robber!" Groans and jeers. 
I hear your groans, your jeers, and know the cause, 
What feverish wrongs run riot in your veins. 
The hatred flames to Heaven against the fiend 
Who's lord on land and sovereign of tlie sea. 
Keeps garrisons in all our forts and towns 
To crush our hopes and throttle Freedom's prayers. 

[Cries of "Murderer! " "Usurper! " "Bravo, 
Le Grand!" "Bravo, Cinq Mars!" 
How many soldiers can we muster ? 
One Baron. T can bring a regiment. 
Another. I have a troop of cavalry enrolled. 



ACT THIRD 163 

Another. Five hundred vassals follow me. 
Another. Five hundred more for me. 

[Cries of " Three hundred! " " Tv:o hundred! " 
" Four hundred ! " 
An old Baron. (To Maeion.) I'll wear your col- 
ors, mademoiselle: my corps 
All wear pale blue ; my crest, an allumette. 

[They crov:d around Cixq Mars, forming a circle. 
Cinq Mars. Xow, what shall be our shibboleth ? 
[Cries, " Death to Richelieu! " " The Holy 
League!" "Pillars of the state!" 
An old Baron. Monsieur le Grand : and you, my 
patriot friends! 
We love our King, our country, and sweet peace. 
Vengeance belongs to God ! Our battle-cry 
Should not be hate and blood, but King and Peace ! 
Le Roi et la Paix should be our banner-cry. 

[Cries of "^ Bravo!" "Bravo, M. le Baron!" 
" Vive M. le Grand! " 
Cinq Mars. This watchword wells like blood from 
your warm hearts. 
" Le Roi et la Paix," this is our battle-cry. 
Come, let us all enroll ourselves ! 

[They crovjd aground Makion de Lokme, v;ho 
vjrites down the n/imes and. contingents each 
can furnish. While this is hein^ done, Cixq 
Maes, Bouillon, De Thou and others stand 
in a group talking over 'plans of action. When 
the enrollment is finished. Cinq Maes takes 
the paper and, after addimg it up, says: 



164 THE LION AT BAY 

All told make fifteen thousand. 

Bouillon. 'Tis not enough. King Richelieu has 
more 
Twice told at Perpignan. 

A Baron. I'll bring a hundrrd more. 

Another. Two hundred more for me. 

Another. Five hundred more. [Applofiise. 

Another. Fifty more. 

Another. Ten more. [Sileiice. 

Cinq Mars. No more ? fNo response. 

(After a pause.) In case of need the Spaniard has 

agreed 
To send us seventeen thousand men. 

\ Murmurs. 

Bouillon. Those are not Frenchmen ! 

De Thou. (To Cinq Mars, aside.) This must not 
be! 
This smells of rankest treason ! 

Cinq Mars. But we must win. Necessity is above 
All law. When Csesar crossed the Rubicon 
He broke the Senate's law to free his land 
From anarchy's red sword, and built an empire 
Bounded by the sun. How oft have pygmies, 
When on the brink, and Hell was leagued against them, 
Begged Heaven to send them help. You know the lore 
Of ages ; know the Tuscan, the Sicilian, 
The Greek, the Roman, too, aye, France herself 
Has craved a friendly hand to help her throttle 
Xerxes, Apollyon, some Nemean lion. 
But when this Devil's whelp has broke his teeth 



ACT THIRD 165 

On granite, then we'll pipe the Spaniard home. 
Come, let us swear ! 

[There is some reluctance. Bui at last, urged hy 
Cinq Maes and other enthusiasts, they all 
gather in a group, centre of stage, draw their 
swords, and raise them aloft to swear. A 
naked sword is now let down above their 
heads hy an invisible cord. Marion sees this, 
hut no one else. 
Marion. A sword ! A sword ! 

[All look about in consternation. 
Look ! See ! It turns its point toward Cinq Mars ! 
'Tis — 'tis some harbinger of evil ! Thus 
Did the sword of Damocles hang down. 

[They have been looking about them, and when 
some of them look up, the sword has been 
drawn up. After they stop looking it is let 
down again. 
This horrid portent comes again ! 

Cinq Mars. 'Tis naught! Some fiction of the 

brain ! Proceed ! 
All. We swear! We swear! We swear! 

[As the oath is being taken a paper is thrown from 
the rear into the circle. Cinq Mars picks it 
up and reads it. No one knows who threw 
it. 
Cinq Mars. Some traitor is among us ! 

[Consternation. All look at each other. Cries of 
" Traitor! " " A traitor! " " Judas among 
us! " " Seize him! " " Shut the doors! " 



166 THE LION AT BAY 

Marion. My servants may be false. 

[Goes to lock the door. 
[A coolness now spreads over the assembly. They 
separate into groups and discuss the matter. 
After awhile Cinq Mars speaks. 
Cinq Mars. Have courage, gentlemen ! All have 
faced death 
Before! If one, then all are marked! No faltering! 
You know our rendezvous ! All France is with us ! 
If any would recant, let him now speak ! 

[Silence. After a pause. 
Thank God, there are no whitened livers here ! 
The fate of France rests on our shoulders. You 
Alone, now Soisson, Montmorency's dead, 
Can bear your arms in this great holy war 
And raise aloft the banner of the free. 
Now let us nail our standard to the mast 
On land and sea ! Come, save the '' Old Eegime " ! 
Then France in gratitude will write our names 
Among the stars ! " Le Eoi et la Paix ! " 

All. (Shout.) " Le Roi et la Paix! " 
" Le Roi et la Paix 1 " 



ACT THIRD 167 



Scene II 

Richelieu s Cabinet 

Same as first scene. Act I. Richelieu and Baptiste 
in earnest conversation. 

Richelieu. I have him by the throat : where Crom- 
well has 
King Charles ! My mastiff- fangs are buried deep ! 
A princess ne'er can marry save her King 
Consents. Besides, she is betrothed to Poland. 
This boy, Cinq Mars, has but a count's escutcheon; 
His bantam castle Langeais' tower o'ertops, 
And Chinon thunders death ! This bracelet ? 
Did you see it ? 

Baptiste. With both my eyes. 
Richelieu. And did he kiss her hand ? 
Baptiste. He smothered it with kisses. 

[^Teasing him. 
Richelieu. The Queen's ! How was her Majesty 

beminded ? 
Baptiste. She blushed as maidens do when amorous 
eyes 
Disclose Love's first enrapturing secret. 

Richelieu. She blushed! {Angrily.) Her eyes? 

^Mildly. 
Baptiste. Her eyes seemed swimming in a sea of 

joy. 



168 THE LION AT BAY 

Richelieu. Did she withdraw her hand ? 

[Jealous. 

Baptiste. Aye, once, as if the crown she'd put aside. 

Richelieu. The Queen drew back her hand ? 

[Gladly. 

Baptiste. But for a moment ! Then she held it 
forth 
As if the very wantonness of joy 
Had conquered modesty's restraint. 

Richelieu. {Aside.) Would God it had been mine! 
Would, would my mouth 
Could gloat at such a feast ! Oh, for one kiss ! 
If I could feel her velvet hand upon my mane, 
The lion's heart within me would be tamed ! 
(Aloud.) I wrote a sonnet to her Majesty, 
Long years ago, before Antinous 
Had donned the livery of wise Ulysses. 
She sent for me, coquetting with my love ; 
Before her lady's-maids she made me play 
The fool. They dressed me up like Harlequin, 
With cap and bells ; they made me amble like 
A popinjay; they laughed behind their fans 
To see the statesman play the mountebank. 
I thought my heart would crack with stifled pride 

[Baptiste is laughing in his sleeve. 
Love scorned is Satan's whelp! But come! This 
meeting ? 

Baptiste. There were just thirty. 

Richelieu. All enemies of mine? 

Baptiste. Excepting one. 



ACT THIRD 169 

Richelieu. Excepting one ? 

Bapiiste. Our spj. 

Richelieu. This treaty! Has it been signed? 

BaptiMe. Xot yet. A courier starts with, it at once 
To reach, on wings of light, the Spanish capital. 

Richelieu. He said that Spain would lend him sol- 
diers ? 

Baptiste. Aye, so he said. 

Richelieu. Some seventeen thousand men ? 

[^Meditating. 

Baptiste. Aye, that he heard distinctly. 

Richelieu. This cannot be! Spain never would 
attempt it . . . 
Unless . . . perhaps . . . for some return of favors. 
In affairs of state gratuities are scarce 
As eagles' eggs. 

Baptiste. Would Spain dethrone your Eminence to 
set 
Some puppet in your shoes ? 

Richelieu. Send seventeen thousand men. . . . 

[Reflecting. 
The treaty signed. . . . 

Baptiste. T^o, to be signed. 

Richelieu. . . . And sent to Spain. . . . 

Baptiste. It must be sent there to be ratified. 

Richelieu. But who's to carry it ? 

Baptiste. Some one of the conspirators, I trow. 

Richelieu. But who ? 

Baptiste. He did not say. 

Richelieu. And when will it be sent ? 



170 THE LION AT BAY 

Baptiste. At once — to-night, if not already gone. 

Richelieu. This shall not be ! This treaty we must 
have 
Before 'tis ratified ! Else, France must arm 
For war, that languishes for peace. Some one 
Who loves his country more than self must seize 
This parchment ere it sees the Pyrenees ! 

\^Refiecting. 
Santane ? That butcher has not nerve enough ! 
De Thou ? A princely son of a princelier sire ! 
Alas ! He loves Cinq Mars better than life. 
Count Mirabeau ? Too old ! The ague has him. 
I need some robber baron, poor and spendthrift. 
Whose castle walls are mouldering; whose eyes 
Are famishing for yellow gold. Ah, ha ! 
Laubardemont ! Laubardemont ! You know 
That greedy, devilish caitiff? 

Baptiste. Yes, well. He pants for blood as pants 
the panther. 
When starved and shivering with famine's ague. 
Pants for some cow^ering doe. His lands are deserts-; 
Chateau's a robber's den ; his daughter mad 
With piety and turned adrift, companion 
For kites and swineherds. He is in Paris, knocking 
Lone travellers upon the head to filch 
Their only sou. 

Richelieu. The very man we want. Where sleeps 
he? 

Baptiste. With Jacques the Butcher, do"svn in Saint 
Antoine. 



ACT THIRD 171 

Richelieu. Go fetch him here ! 

Baptiste. At once, your Excellence? 

Richelieu. At once ! At once ! Before the pot has 
cooled 
The porridge should be eaten. 

[Baptiste starts to go. Richelieu calls after him. 
If Cinq Mars signs that parchment, that is treason ! 
I'll have his head or he'll have mine. 

[Baptiste goes out. Richelieu falls hacTc in his 
chair, sad, sick, disconsolate. Presently he 
recovers strength and begins to reflect. 
In youth I loved a maid, blue-eyed, sweet-voiced. 
As fair as ever lily of the vale ; 
A seraph kissed her at her birth, an angel 
Taught her faith and love and charity. 
I called her Artemis ; I worshipped her ; 
I laid my heart against her breast and vowed 
To follow in her train till Death should trip 
My heels and lay my head upon the sod. 
But time rolled on. Another maiden dawned 
Upon my sight, a statelier Diana : 

Dark-haired, full-browed, with voice like rippling rills ; 
The lightning slumbered in her eyes. She drew 
Me not by silken thread ; commanded me : 
I followed at her chariot wheels, her slave. 
This first love was the Church ; my second, France. 

[He falls forward on his knees. 
Sweet maiden of my earlier years ! Forgive, 
O Holy Bride, thy recreant swain's backsliding! 
And thou. Fair France, my Bride of manhood's years. 



172 THE LION AT BAY 

- — 

Still rest thy hand in mine ! I'll guide thy steps 
Through this dark vale of woe. (Coughs.) Sustain 

my strength ! 
Already now I hear the cataract's roar. 

[He falls forward in a faint. Laubardemont 
comes in, goes to him, raises him and pids 
him in his chair, and fans him hack to con- 
sciousness. 
Laubardemont. You sent for me, Lord Cardinal. 

[Arranging his pillows. 
[Richelieu nods half consciously. A pause. 
Richelieu. Laubardemont, I have not seen you since 
Young Grandier was burnt for heresy 
In yonder forest. [In a weak and trembling voice. 

Laubardemont. But I have been in Paris. 
Richelieu. And doing what? 
Laubardemont. Breaking the bread of poverty. 
Richelieu. A footpad ! 
Laubardemont. Not quite so low as that ! A bandit, 

though. 
Richelieu. Your daughter, where is she ? 
Laubardemont. She's in the Pyrenees. 
Richelieu. And why ? 

Laubardemont. For falsehood to our Church's holy 
vows. 
I gave her to a mountaineer — a Basque — 
To do his menial offices, to tend 
His flocks — a servant dairy-maid. 
Richelieu. But why ? 
Laubardemont. As punishment for heresy. 



ACT THIRD 173 

Richelieu. As beautiful as Luna's bow at morn, 
The sun paints on a virgin cloud ! 

Lauhardemont. A vision once of innocence ! 

Richelieu. Why, then, dethrone her from her high 
estate 
And mate her with base swineherds ? 

Lauhardemont. She grew to womanhood a Hugue- 
not. 

Richelieu. 'Twas cruelty incarnate ! She but 
thought 
The bread and wine were not Christ's bleeding flesh 
And ruddy blood, but emblems. 

Lauhardemont. A heretic ! Her mind is shattered 
now. 
She's lunatic. 

Richelieu. Where dwells she in the Pyrenees? 

Laidjardemont. 'Tis in the Pass Sebastian ; on the 
border. 
Where giant hills betroth the maiden sea. 

Richelieu. Loved she young Urbain Grandier ? 

Lauhardemont. Both him and his religion. 

Richelieu. Another Heloise and Abelard ! 

Lauhardemont. They were not married! 

Richelieu. But he has robbed her of her jewel ? 

Lauhardemont. He left her chaste as snow! But 
filched 
A gem more prized by us, her piety, 
And steeped her soul in heresies he brewed. 

Richelieu. Lauhardemont, I've work for you to do. 

Lauhardemont. Lord Cardinal, I've hands for work. 



m THE LION AT BAY 

Richelieu. Your daughter, would you see her? 

Laubardemont. No . . . Yes . . . 

Richelieu. This mountaineer, has he a ready hand ? 

Laubardemont. For anything. A brigand lives by 
murder. 

Richelieu. Then mark! This night, this day, a 
courier 
Took horses for Madrid. This Pass Sebastian, 
Where dwells your child, is on the way to Spain's 
Proud capital. This messenger will fly 
By horse to Orleans, and thence by couriers 
Of the stream adown the Loire to Tours; and, thence 
By horse to Biarritz, will scale the pass 
Beside the hut where that fierce mountaineer 
Now tethers your sweet child. This messenger 
Is burdened with a packet, worth to me 
And France the victory she lost at Crecy. 
It holds in leash the wolves of war. My fate 
And France's both hang upon this mission. Stab 
That traitor to the heart, and bring to me 
That treaty ! Ask, then, what you will, in gold. 
In lands, 'tis yours ! . . . You'll go ? 

Lauhardemont. As swift as Arab to avenge a 
brother's murder ! 

Richelieu. Bethink you now, will you succeed? 

[Laubardemont meditates. 

Laubardemont. I know that pass as nuns their 
paternosters. 
My father was Great Henry's forest-warden. 
And there I chased the stag long ere I learned 



ACT THIRD 175 

My letters. No ! This whelp cannot escape me 
If I can win the pass before him ! 
Richelieu. And you will start ? 
Laubardemont. As soon as I get horse. 
Richelieu. There is an Arab barb within my stables 
Behind the Palais Cardinal, as swift 
As sound. Emir Pasha sent me tJiis gem 
Upon my six and fiftieth birthday. God 
Go with you ! Time is more than horseflesh ! 
Laubardemont. But should I kill him ? 
Richelieu. Your sin is pardoned ere 'tis done. 
Laubardemont. But should his dagger find my 

heart ? 
Richelieu. You die the Church's martyr, and your 
feet 
Your holocaust shall light through Purgatory! 

[Richelieu takes a cross from his own necJc and 
puts it around Laubardemont's neck, and 
kisses it. 
This have I worn, close to my heart, for years. 
Now go ! You go, the Church's David. 

[Laubardemont goes out. Richelieu sinks back 
exhausted, and after awhile gathers strength. 
There is no glitter in the gold that gilds 
My visions now, as in those halcyon days 
Of yore, when young ambition sought to climb 
That ladder Jacob, in his dream, had seen 
Ascending angels mount to Heaven upon. 
That Heaven of youth is not the haven now 
I seek; I, now so tossed upon the seas, 



176 THE LION AT BAY 

So beaten, battered, bruised and bleeding, shipwrecked, 

No oars, no sails, no rudder, compass, nothing ! 

Think any port is lloavon ! Oh, how hard 

For him, who, buffeted by adverse winds, 

No wife, no child, no friend, love, anything, 

Must lay his head, at last, upon the breast 

Of Mother Earth: no hand to smooth his pillow; 

No eye to shed a tear ; no tongue to shi(^ld 

His memory from malice ! fyl fit of coughing. 

Die T must! . . . 
But die as sinks some battle-beaten ship. 
Colors at the masthead and cannon shotted 
To the muzzle, belching life's fierce requiem. 

I Feels his heart. 
It flutters ! But my liand still holds the plow, 
And I will drive the plowshare to the beam! 
Whate'er aM'aits me in those realms of rest. 
No man shall spit upon my grave and say 
Here lies a coward ! Till Death's grim angel stay 
The sculptor's hand, his chisel still shall carve 
A Phidian France, like that Olympian Jove! 
I still can hurl the thunderbolt ! Boy! Boy! 
Wilt thou — thou snatch the bolt from my old hand? 
My palaces ? My castles ? Plumage ? Fame ? 
Will you pluck out the eacle's eyes before 
He dies? The Church! What! Must her garments 

trail 
In the dust ? The Huguenots be lords of France ? 
My quiver holds one dart., yes, it holds two. 
And I will hurl them, poisoned with gall ! 



ACT THIRD 177 

Poor boy ! Your shallop ne'er can sail these seas 
And maelstroms, churned by passion's swirling tides, 
Where rudders veer with every shifting breeze. 
Your rashness, boy, shall cost your curls ! 



178 THE LION AT BAY 

ACT IV 

Scene I 

A salon in the palace of the Louvre. Enter two court- 
iers, dressed as dandies. 

First Fop. Cinq Mars smokes out the fox to-day ! 
Richelieu 
Would rather lose his brush, his ears, his skin 
Than go. Tie's burrowed here for twenty years. 

Second Fop. Is it so long? I hear his baggage's 
packed, 
His palanquin is ready, bearers shod. 

First Fop. At first to Orleans ; and thence by barge 
and oars 
Adown the Loire to Blois . . . 

Second Fop. {Internipting.) 'Tis there the mother 

of our King he dungeoned ! 
First Fop. Thence on to Chaumont . . . 
Second Fop. Cinq Mars' retainers there will line 
the shore 
And fill the air with jeers, as he floats by. 

First Fop. And thence to Fontevrault. . . . 
Second Fop. The ghost of Cceur de Lion here will 
taunt 
Him with the memory of faded glories ! 

First Fop. True! Cceur de Lion sleeps here, and 
his father. 



ACT FOURTH 179 

Second Fop. French worms have eaten him ! 
First Fop. And then by the Vienne to Chinon . . . 
Second Fop. The jackdaw stole this from our King! 
First Fop. Then home to Richelieu, the pig-stye 
whence 
This parvenu began his reign of terror ! 

Second Fop. Already this Parisian air seems rare- 
fied. 
First Fop. Yes ! Yes ! My lungs expand more 
freely now ; 
My head could bump the stars. 

Second Fop. Come, let us weigh it down with Bur- 
gundy ! 
First Fop. I saw our King, to-day, buried in busi- 
ness, 
Affairs of state, up to his very ears ; 
Sweating and fuming, face as rod as saffron, 
His wig awry as if the mice had built 
Their nests in it ; big seals and pages everywhere. 
Second Fop. No wonder, with an empire dumped 
upon 
His back. 

First Fop. I thought old ^tna had exploded. 
Second Fop. The fox resigned his burrow once too 
often, [Satirically. 

These cares of state so troubled him. [Laughing. 

First Fop. He needed rest so much. [In derision. 
Second Fop. " I pray you. Sire, relieve me of my 
load. 
Pray find some younger shoulders." 



180 THE LION AT BAY 

First Fop. " I sink beneath the burden of your 

honors." 
Second Fop. " Take back jonr palaces." 
First Fop. " This Pahiis Cardinal, it is too large." 
Second Fop. '' Chinon too large a burden for mj 

purse." 
First Fop. " My equipage too gi*and for me." 
Second Fop. Come, let us drink his health in Bur- 
gundy. 
First Fop. His deep damnation! 
Second Fop. An easy passage on to Hades ! 
First Fop. And here's an obolus for Charon. 

[^Taking a coin from his pocket. 
Second Fop. This friend of old Pisistratus. 
First Fop. And Nero, fiddling 'mid the flames of 

Rome. 
Second Fop. Come, come, we're wasting time. 

[They go out arm in arm. 
[Enter the Queen and Cinq Mars. 
Cinq Mars. Your Majesty is sad to-day. 
Queen. For I have lost a friend. 
Cinq Mars. Your Majesty has other friends. 
Queen. Companions many, but, alas, few friends! 
That sweet commingling of the wine of life 
Which we call friendship comes but seldom. Oh, 
Our royal lives are hedged about with spies; 
We are bombarded by so many eyes, 
Bitten by tongues, shot at by jealousies. 
And churlish envy dog.s our heels so closely 
That friendship, when it comes, is doubly welcome. 



ACT FOURTH 181 

No news as yet from England ? 

Cinq Mars. Not yet. Three couriers have gone to 
Calais, 
Lashed into fury by my scolding tongue. 

Queen. The fear of their defeat has made me heart- 
sick. 
This Felton ! Have you heard no more of him, 
What motive was the rowel spurred him on 
To kill the Duke of Buckingham ? 

Cinq Mars. He said that Buckingham fomented 
strife, 
Fed to King Charles suspicion's hellebore. 
Wasted no love on England or her people; 
Besides, there was, 'tis said, some girl, some sister. 
Some maid of honor Buckingham deceived. 

Queen. His Grace of Buckingham could ne'er do 
that ! [^Resentfully. 

'Twas he who came a-wooing for Prince Charles 
And led our Henrietta back to England. 
The curse of courts is this; the biting curse 
Of station is that arrows aimed at them 
Are dipt in envy, malice, guile, suspicion, 
Those black alembics brewed from fiendish poisons. 
Toan of Arc, the saintliest of maids, 
Those devils daubed as black as Erebus. 

Cinq Mars. Ah ! Then this was some idle tale the 
winds 
In wantonness have swept across the Channel. 

Queen. Your couriers, when they come back, bring 
me 



182 THE LION AT BAY 

At once their message ! Oh, that gilded gewgaw I 
'Tis worth a kingdom now to France's Queen ! 

Cinq Mars. Before the messenger has caught his 
breath 
I'll bring his message here. 

Queeru To-daj goes Richelieu to Orleans ? 

[Cinq Mars nods. 
Banished ? 

Cinq Mars. Aye, so the ravens say. His Majesty 
Has ta'en the seal of state, and packed him off 
To old Touraine for rest and its enchantments. 
'Tis time his cavalcade should come 
Along the river. Hark. I hear it now. 

[The noise of tramping horses is heard in the dis- 
tance. 
Queen. My mind is deluged with misgivings, and 
The unexpected is their paramour. 
When in the deadly breach some novel wile 
Will always raise its horrid form to front us. 

Cinq Mars, l^o fear ! His Majesty has taken down 
The sword of state : his cabinet is lined 
With secretaries and ambassadors 
In double rows. 

[Shouting is heard without, jeers and groans. 
Enter the Princess de Gonzaga. 
Queen.. What noise is this ? 

Princess. The Ex-King, Richelieu, goes by! The 
people 
Shout their jeers and groans and riddances. 

[Cinq Mars goes to the window and opens it. 



ACT FOURTH 183 

Murmurs, groans, jeers come in. " Mur- 
derer!" "Tyrant! " 
Queen. At last I breathe without restraint ! A load 
Is lifted from my breast. That cloud, that pall 
Of doom is lifting. [Enter the Queen Dowager. 

Queen Dowager. A funeral is passing by ! 'Tis 
Richelieu's ! 
The streets are gay with revellers, as if 
Some wedding pageant passed. Hear you their pseans ? 

[Enter Coligny. 
Coligny. (Satirically.) May I, too, see the con- 
queror pass ? No Roman 
Has ever triumphed so before. They shadowed. 
Thronged their roofs and temples, and built arches 
To celebrate the coming of their victor : 
Paris throws up its hat to see ours go. 

[Enter other courtiers, dancing ivith unrestrained 
joy. 
A Courtier. Your Majesties! Forgive, forgive our 

joy 

To know that this Colossus' feet are clay ! 

Queen. Yes, show your joy howe'er you will ! 

[Some one extemporizes music and they all join 
in a minuet. Before it is finished the King 
comes in haste and anxiety. 
King. Has Richelieu gone ? 
Coligny. Yes, gone, and God be praised ! 

[Shouts of joy. 
King. Go call him back! Find him! Bring him! 
He must 



184 THE LION AT BAY 

Return ! These burdens are too great for me 

To bear ! The affairs of Spain, of Portugal, 

Of England, these I cannot solve alone. 

Half England has revolted ! Rank rebellion 

Faces King Charles ! One Cromwell heads the rebels. 

Charles begs for help : wants troops to curb these 

traitors. 
Richelieu has counselled patience, for fear that I, 
By taking up the hatchet for my brother, 
Provoke the Puritans, and, should they win, 
E'er long the weight of England fall on us. 
I need a pilot knows these shoals and reefs 
And maelstroms of diplomacy ; I must 
Have one can guide the staggering ship of state, 
Now wallowing in this angry trough. I . . . I . . . 
I was not trained for this hard task. The ways 
Of peace and pleasure, soft dalliance with toil. 
These were the midnight oils I burned. 

[While he is speahing a horseman, hooted and 
spurred and covered with tnud, enters and 
hands a pachet to Cinq Mars. A maid of 
honor calls the Queen to the side (front), 
where Cinq Mars gives it to her. She un- 
does it, takes out the bracelet, and puts it on 
her arm. 
Queen. (Aside.) My throne, my honor now are 
safe ! 

[The QuEEN^ Queen Dowager, Cinq Maes and 
CoLiGNY approach the King. 
My Sire, be not, we beg, infirm of purpose, 



ACT FOURTH 185 

Nor rash in jour decision. The joke joii wear 
Will soon adjust itself. It galls jour neck, 
Weighs heavilj at first, but counsellors 
And use will lighten it. 

Queen Dowager. Mj noble son, jour father, great 
^Navarre, 
Oft groaned beneath his load, impatient seemed 
In small affairs e'en to the verge of madness. 
But burdens seemed to stead j him, as cargoes 
Will keep the great leviathans of ocean 
Upon an even keel. Be patient jet 
Awhile. Your ejes will soon become accustomed 
To the light. When prisoners are freed from dungeons 
Their ejcs at first are blinded bj the glare 
Wliich afterwards can match the eagle's sight. 
Let us be helpers. We, jour faithful Queen 
And mother, know the labjrinths of state, 
Will find the golden cord will guide jou through 
Unto the light. [Enter Richelieu — pale, wan. 

Richelieu. Your Majestj has sent for me. 

King. Welcome, Lord Cardinal ! . I was so much 
Absorbed in state affairs I knew not 
Your going till I heard this noise. 

Richelieu. Bullfrogs and ravens croaking at the 
sun! 

King. I want to breathe again the sweet aroma 
Of jour wise advice. 

Richelieu. (Feigning reluctance; has fit of cough- 
ing.) Your Majesty must not forget Death's angel 
Is beckoning me and will not be denied. 



186 THE LION AT BAY 

King. A little rest, to breathe again the air 
Of old Touraine, your native heatb, then you 
Can look Death out of countenance. You are 
Isoi old in years. 

Richelieu. Nor young in cares. 

King. Good Cardinal, I faithfully have tried 
To learn the stops and frets of that great organ 
Which, 'neath your touch, discourses harmonies 
Will echo through the royal courts of Europe 
As some cathedral's diapason will set 
The echoes dancing in true measure. 
My j&ngers are not deft enough for such 
Diplomacies. 

Richelieu. {With feigned obsequiousness.') Your 
Majesty is gracious. Nov7 your lips 
Distil the honeys of Hymettus. 

King. The just reward of long and faithful service ! 

Richelieu. (Aside.) It was not always thus. The 
taste of gall 
Was ne'er a stranger to my lips. 

King. Ingratitude is oft the crime of kings. 
Let bygones pass ! Take up the reins again 
And drive again the quadriga of state. 

Richelieu. I am too weak, infirm, to hold the reins; 
I fear the fate of Phaeton. 

King. Not Phaeton, but his great father Phoebus. 

Richelieu. (Still feigning unwillingness.) I must 
protest. I am not well. If you, 
Your Majesty, decline the august duty, 
Confer it on some worthier servant, one 



ACT FOURTH 187 

Who loves his country more. Why not Cinq Mars ? 

King. A boy of four and twenty years to hold 
The conquering sword o'er France and Europe ? 

Richelieu. Her gracious Majesty, the Queen, might 
take 
The royal sceptre. [In mock earnestness. 

King. She has her son to educate, a court 
To interest and pacify. 

Richelieu. The royal Dowager of France, your gra- 
cious 
Mother, she might be persuaded. 

King. The reign of petticoats is o'er in France. 
France needs a hand of steel to keep her barons 
From tearing the ermine off her King. 

[Baptiste enters in haste and hands a sealed 
packet to Richelieu. It is the coveted treaty. 
Richelieu breaks the seal, opens and scans 
it with eagerness, then delight, excusing him- 
self to the King for the delay. 
Richelieu. Your Majesty will pardon me a mo- 
ment. ... 
Should I take up the sword, your Majesty 
Would wrest it from me soon again. 

King. No — never ! This I swear before the Court. 

[Consternation. 
'Richelieu. With what authority, what power would 
you 
Invest your minister ? 

King. Full power, as formerly, to do whate'er 
The needs of France require. 



188 THE LION AT BAY 

Richelieu. To punish traitors ? 

King. Most certainly ! 

Richelicti. E'eu it* their foot bosinonr tlio tlirone. 

Tread iijion tlio roLos of rovnlty? 

Kimj. Tho nearer to tboir King-, tlio uioro tlieir 
lioarts 
Slionld love and honor him. 

Riclielieu. (Eagerly.) This treaty made with 
Sjiain ? 

King. What treaty? 

Richelieu. The treaty yon made yesterday. 

King. I made no treaty, neither countenanced 
Nor siii'iied a treaty! 

RichcJieu. This treaty I have here? 

King. Where ? 

Riclielicn. TTere in my hand. [Exhibits it. 

King. Lot mo see it. 

Riclielieu. Your Majesty shall know its im|H)rt. 

lR.eading it. 
This paper hoars tho date of yesterday. 
That day 'twas sent to Spain. That day I sent 
A messenger to follow it, to seize it 
By force or gnilo. TTo overtook tho hearer 
Three hours as:o at Orleans and ho shot 
The traitor like a dog. He found this parchment 
Hidden within his boot, and brought it here 
To me. This parchment gives to Spain our forts 
Along the border; Spain agrees to send 
Troops, seventeen thousand strong, to France at once. 



ACT FOURTH 189 

These are to meet the forces of the King 
Your Majesty commands at Perpignan. 

King. Who signed this villainous agreement? 
Richelieu. Your Majesty shall sec yourseli". 

[Hands it to ike Kino. 
King. (After examining it.) Cinq Mars. 

IC'onsternation. Several voices: "Cinq Mars!" 
Princess de Gonzaga faints. Commotion. 
Is this your signature ? \_To Cinq Mars. 

[Cinq Maes Ijows his head. 
A traitor — double-dyed! [Silence, and pause. 

Richelieu. What is your Majesty's behest? 
King. Whate'er his minister commands! 
Richelieu. (To the guards.) This traitor to the 
Conciergerie ! 
Another sun shines over France to-day ! 
No ! 'Tis the same ! But yesterday eclipsed ! 

[Guards arrest Cinq Mars. King turns his hack 
upon him and walks alone out of the salon. 
Queen, Queen Dowager, Gaston and the 
courtiers follow. As the King passes Riche- 
lieu he says in a low tone: 
Richelieu. Your Majesty, the bracelet! 

[King turns to the Queen. 
King. I asked your Majesty to wear to-night 
That bracelet I gave you on our wedding-day. 
Queen. I have obeyed your Majesty. 

[Shows him the bracelet. 
[Richelieu is left alone. 



190 THE LION AT BAY 



Scene II 

Same scene, with the lights turned down. Its gaiety 
has departed. Richelieu sitting alone, writing. 

Richelieu. 'Tis like the slaughter of the innocents 
to slay 

That boy ! Straight from his mother's arms he leaped 

Into this vortex of diplomacy, 

And breasted it with lusty arms. Strange marvel! 

Hyperion's curls upon the head of Nestor ! 

I could have kissed those soft, sweet, ruby lips. 

How can I face his plaintive eyes when they 

Are turned upon me on the Judgment Day ? 

[He reads over the paper he has been writing — 
it is the order for Cinq Mars' execution — 
and rin^s for a secretary. This whole scene 
is acted with suppressed, intense emotion, for 
both Richelieu and Maeion Jcnow all that 
has so far happened and, out of regard for 
each other, suppress their feelings. 

Robert, one copy in a fair, round hand ; 

Attach the se^l of state, and bring it here. 

When finished, for my signature. [Robert goes out. 

(Soliloquizing.) The Square of Henry IV. 'Tis 
handy to 

The Conciergerie ! The hour of dawn. 

I always waken at the dawn. My hour of prayer ! 

When the great orb of life has frightened night, 

Then is the freshened soul fittest for sweet 



ACT FOURTH 191 

Communion. How many a man has shuffled oflF 
His mortal cerements at dawn ! Cinq Mars 
Was always in the fashion ; shall be still. 

[Kings a hell; another secretary comes in. 
A messenger to the Conciergerie 
To bring Cinq Mars in half an hour here. 

[Marion enters, dressed in black, and approaches 
slowly. 
In weeds? And why, sweet Marion? Your eyes 
Are lead ; your step is like the galley-slave's, 
Dragging behind him his torturing weight of chain. 
Cheer up, my pretty bird ! Come sing to me, 
Sweet nightingale, the joys of maidenhood! 
Marion. I am not well. 

Richelieu. Not well ? Then you must see some 
leech. 

[^He moves to ring the hell, hut she stops him. 
Marion. It is my heart that's sick. 
Richelieu. Some medicine will lighten it. 
Marion. My soul is sad. 
Richelieu. (Banteringly.) Would?st rather have 

some mender of bad soles ? 
Marion. My head is swimming like a bladder in the 

air. 
Richelieu. Valerian, my dear, will quiet it. 
Come sit you here and I will wrap my cloak 
About you. \^Rises to help her to a chair. 

Marion. I fear I ne'er shall sleep again. 
Richelieu. 'Tis too much gaiety! To-night you'll 
sleep 



102 



I'lIK lilON AT HAY 



r'ntni vMMiriiii'MM. Tlioito /'JiomIii I liiil liiiiiiil oiii' <lr<>iiiilH 

Ami In/'Jilcii III lliiMi' cilViNi lli(> iiiii'iivi nl' 

(^hifcii IMnli, will) wmilil iiiioinl, niir iili<('|ili>iii4 nycN 

Willi iililliili<'r'M Imlni, I Imuu gllUMl'i will VViMiiiiicMM 

All'ri^^;lil,. 

Miiimii. No mI<'<'|i, I I'rjir, will vmil, my riml (<y(U4 
'I'll iii^ijil or <'\ miioriv 

h'h'hiliiii. Will'')!' IK vmii- lining 

Miiiinii. I liiiv«> III) |iiiiii. 

It h IkI K'li No lining \ r\ rnimol ;ilt'i>|) ^ 

I 1\I A UloN llihls. 
W'lllMO llo \o|| Mllllol'^ I M,\lill>IN j>otn(s /l) h(l IllUIlL 

'I'lio iniiiil iliM(>ilii<<i| i 

MilllHII No| lliMtMIIII'tl, llllili'livil I 

liiilnlii II Willi vvliiil < 

Mdiiiui IkiMiiorni'. 

A'jcAf '//('(< . Ami wliv I'riiiorto / 

Miirimi 'I'lml I nr;'oil loilli llionlnp; v«>l «'oiil.| not 
lllllV 
Till' liimln I 

h'hhi'lii'ii. 'I'liiil Willi I )iium'M (MMiiic. 

Miiriitll. I illil I lli< 'iilllio, lull dill liol llll\i< lirr Willlil. 
liii'ln'lit'ii. ^ oil ii|ii'iiK III riilillt'M. Sil voii licrc. I 
Know 
Till' ImiIiii lor MotiiK itlllicliMJ iiiIikIm. 

I III' iin/i's hrr In sil. tShr Ih'siIhIis. hiil /iinilli/ 

fulfills. 

Mitih>ii Noil Kiiuw llio ImiIiii lor mo. niul vol Willi 

liol.l 



AC'i" ii'oDirni 



ii):i 



It II lirl nil. VVIiiil ift iJin riii'ft'^ 

l\l III inn I >iMMi < 'iin| M iiin li V" i 

I Kmiii ii:i I iMi iiiiilu. 
Ami <lu(tK li" 'Ik' ^ 

liii'll.rl nil In MiMiruw ill. I.lin <liiwii 

/!/((/ mil A ii'l \vln\r<< '^ 

li II III Inn In llm |l(|iiiin' ol' llnmy {''uiirlJi. 

Miltuin. Aii'l wliM will Im^ lint n«n(',uLi(MH'r f 

lliohi'iii'ii. 'I'liM |ii)|( I i.r llir. ( loiM'inrfjrni'ln. 

Mwrwn lie in loo y'Hiii// lo <lit<, 

Ifit'lirhi'ii. Vi'C, yoiliif/, in yciiru, hiil 'Jd m < nun. 

Muriiiii. VVIiiil < rimo'< 

Unlnlnii 'I lif /MfiilifJ ol nil ci'inmH, lii/'ji Ichhoii 

Mm inn ''Iwiin ( !m'MIU'*h, I'mirK, Ml rnlM'ii, < 'on 
hUiiiI iiio'm 1 

liichi'liiui. 'I'liif I I '.1(1 iJufto nicn wn»f (ll<^ Imiki oI' 
I'oil iini', 
And Vicloiy j»<rrlic<| u|i(mi llirir Hl.im<lMr<l«. 

Mwrion. ''(iM^oii nol pnrdoM liimif 

llii',lu',l,ii'iL I v.wu. 

M (iriiin 'Mm n '//ill yon ''• 

llu'lirlnii On one 'ondilion. 

Mtlrion Von'll I' II nic v/lml, lliiil, i(t''> 

llil'.lu'.lii'il, Nol, you, "I'/n only loi lini cMfM. 

M'lrinn If yonr rdndilion r,l,(i|»f', liny rolio ol' mnn 
l.oo.l 
i'roin oil III', Idi'l' lie, M'iV<T V/ill 'onipl/ 

liuludwu. I r<;(ir il, <lo<!H 

( Mauion iiltif/i/rrn hill, rnnurrH lii'ini'lf . 

Marion. 'I Iim inolJMir of oi»r holy onlor HMok» 



194 THE LION AT BAY 

To see him ere he dies, to assuage his soul 
With consolation. 

[Richelieu sigris a paper and hands it to her. 

Richelieu. She has permission. , 

Marion. Is tliere no respite ? 

Richelieu. No — not one hour ! 

Marion. But why ? 

Richelieu. The Court, from Queen to servitor, are 
on 
My back, their talons at my throat, their teeth 
Gleaming with hunger for my blood. Let me 
Relax one tittle and I'm lost. They hold the Queen; 
I hold the King and play my card at dawn. 
With Cinq Mars dead this whole conspiracy 
Will die as ripples on a summer sea. 

Marion. Can no one else make reparation ? 

Richelieu. No one. 

Marion. Not Gaston ? 

Richelieu. Gaston's a fool and coward, shallow as 
a puddle. 

Marion. But Gaston led him on. 

Richelieu. I know this well. 

Marion. And promised him the cloak of royalty — 
The King's consent — should cover all his acts. 

Richelieu. I know all this. But if the statesman 
let 
The whims, the follies, weaknesses of Kings 
They play as pawns in this great game of state 
Have sway, ere long they'd meet a checkmate. 

Marion. But Louis gave him countenance. 



ACT FOURTH 195 

Richelieu. Poor fool ! To trust a royal promise ! 

Marion. Are Kings such base deceivers ? 

Richelieu. But why such interest in Cinq Mars' 
fate ? [Avoiding her question. 

Marion. I cannot, must not tell. 

Richelieu. You need not, for I know. 

Marion. Then you should pity me. 

Richelieu. I do. God knows I do. 

Marion. 'Twas you who led me on ! 'Twas you 
who said 
" There cometh soon to court the son of these, 
Of her I loved, and should he turn his eyes 
On you, you'd think the sun in all its glory 
Had arisen." I said, " Suppose it dazzle me ? " 
You washed it might. 

Richelieu. (Affected.) 'Tis true! 'Tis true! 

Marion. (Rising.) You took the dearest kin you 
had : you took 
Your sister's child and led her to this spring 
And bade her drink. And when she drank. 
Drank as the panting hart the crystal brook, drank deep, 
'Twas poison! Agony! 'Twas death! Is this 
No crime ? 'Twould bring the tears, black, iron tears 
From Rhadamanthus' eyes. 

[Richelieu hows his head in sorrow and is silent. 

Richelieu. Affairs of state ! 

Marion. " Affairs of state ! " This Juggernaut of 
State ! 
It rides remorseless over bleeding hearts 
And trembling saints as soulless, conscienceless 



196 THE LION AT BAY 

As Satan, Hell's great King! 

Richelieu. My coimtry first, and then the Church, 
then self. 
'Twas Brntns who condemned his child to death. 

Marion. Bnt Bnitiis' child had sinned. Your sis- 
ter's child 
Is stainless as the snow. 

Richelieu. Did she not counsel these conspirators ? 
Marion. Conspirators 'gainst Richelieu, against 
His tyranny, but not against the King! 

Richelieu. Because you are my sister's child your 
sin 
Is pardoned ere you ask it. 

[Extending his hand. Marion howa her head in 
thanks. 
Marion. Can love not sanctify his sin ? 
Richelieu. My poor dear child ! I fear you chase 
a rainbow. 
Cinq Mars's in love with Marie de Gonzaga. 
Marion. She is of royal blood. 

Richelieu. Yet Cinq Mars madly loves her. This 
is why 
He's sought to riot in your uncle's ruin. 
Marion. But marriage is impossible. 
Richelieu. And yet a cat may gaze upon a Queen. 
Marion. Could she be happy with a count's escutch- 
eon ? 
Richelieu. Ah, many a Queen, poor soul, has found 
the breath 
Of royalty she laid her blood-red heart 



ACT FOURTH 197 

Upon a stone, an iceberg. 

Marion. How know yon of their love ? 
Richelieu. I am argiis-eyed and have a hundred 
ears. 
Two nights ago, they went to Sainte Chapelle 
To tie the banns. 

[Marion is deeply affected. Her lips quiver; 
her eyes stare into vacancy, and then moisten 
with tears. But soon pride asserts itself. 
She is sad, not angry. After awhile she hows 
her head, and with a glance at her uncle walks 
sadly off the stage. He 7-ises as she goes out, 
then resumes his seat and is hurled in thought. 
The secretary soon comes hack with the war- 
rant for the execution. Richelieu takes it, 
reads it, meditates, hesitates; hows his head 
upon his hand, as if uncertain luhat to do. 
Then he I'ings and the secretary returns. 
Is Cinq Mars here ? 

Secretary. He is, your Eminence. 
Richelieu. Then send him in, and tell the guard 
to stand 
Without the door. [Secretary withdraws. 

'Tis hard to send this boy. 
In life's fresh heydey, to the block ! 
Ambition's vistas, the red buds of Hope 
Are opening on his eager eyes. The kiss 
Of Genius trembles on his lips. We, who 
Delight to rule, we love to match our wits 
'Gainst men whose truncheons wear the beard of age. 



198 THE LION AT BAY 

[Cinq Mars enters. His manner is still untamed. 
He slightly hows to Eichelieu, who makes no 
return to his salutation. The usher an- 
nounces: " The Grand Count." 
The Grand Count! [Under his breath, satirically. 

[A silence ensues, ivhich is hecoming painful, when 
Cinq Maes speaks. 
Cinq Mars. You sent for me, Lord Cardinal. 
Richelieu. Ah, yes; I had forgot. Monsieur le 
Comte, 
Your altered circumstance has altered not 
Your manner. 

Cinq Mars. A cell and palace are alike to true no- 
bility. 
Richelieu. The headsman's axe is the true leveller. 
'Tis like Procrustes' bed ! It makes all equal. 

Cinq Mars. The blood it sheds sometimes an au- 
reole 
Of crimson glory, 

Richelieu. (Aside.) A stubborn stripling! Long- 
ing for martyrdom ! 
Who brought you here to court ? 

Cinq Mars. 'Twas you. Lord Cardinal. 
Richelieu. How long ago ? 
Cinq Mars. Two years ago. 
Richelieu. And what your station then ? 
Cinq Mars. A simple count. Our chateau was at 
Chaumont, 
On the Loire. The river, field and forest, 
The falcon and the deer, and loving service 



ACT FOURTH 199 

To a widowed mother were my boon companions. 

\_At the mention of his mother Richelieu starts. 
He was once in love with her. 

Richelieu. I knew her once. Our baby feet have 
prattled 
Across that field and forest many a time. 
Yes, well. We learned our letters from the self 
Same book. Our baby lips their first, faint words 
Coined into language, hand in hand. It was 
One mint that stamped them into currency. 

Cinq Mars. So I have heard her say. 

Richelieu. Cinq Mars, I brought you here to court 
to please 
A royal w^him ; to play, to dance, to hunt. 
To sing, to feed a jaded appetite. 
Our King was splenetic ; his Queen had ceased 
To feed him with the food of love and joy. 
]^o sooner were you here than, lo! the boy 
I'd thought would be a puppet in my hands, 
Aspired to seize the reins, like Phaeton, 
And drive the coursers of the sun. The Court, 
From Queen to chamberlain, soon turned on me, 
Kow-towed to this new sun. Grown favorite. 
You soon were brewing hatred and rebellion, 
And tripping up the heels of him had made you. 
But was this gratitude ? 

Cinq Mars. Kittens when born are blind. I came 
to play. 
My eyes were opened soon. I saw a tyrant 
Had brought nobility to bay ; had stripped 



200 THE LION AT BAY 

Prerogative till it was splenetic; 

Had spiked its cnlverins ; had razed its castles; 

Had freed its vassals ; painted ruin on 

Its brow, and left the proudest heritage 

The sun e'er saw to feed on barren moors. 

Richelieu. You nobles held the sceptre in contempt ; 
The King was nerveless to restrain your pride. 
I grasped the King's right hand and led him up 
To magisterial heights ; showed him a land 
Flowing with milk and honey, he could rule. 

Ciiiq Mars. And still another horror smote my 
sight. 
I saw the Huguenots, hunted like hounds, 
Dwelling in caves and quarried sepulchres, 
Burnt at the stake, branded as galley-slaves, 
While you were lord of palace and of fell. 
The Pope's and God's vicegerent. 

Richelieu. Some one must rule. Where all men are 
the masters, 
Red anarchy and social chaos riot. 

Cinq Mars. There is no master in the Church save 
God, 
And Christ is His Vicegerent. Every one 
Should worship God according to his conscience. 
Richelieu. ISTewf angled heresies ! Sectarian! 
Cinq Mars. Freedom to worship when and how and 
where 
We please — this is our shibboleth. 

Richelieu. This rage, of English birth, poisons the 
state ; 



ACT FOURTH 201 



Has led Cinq Mars to lift his eyes and hope 
To wed with royalty. 

Cinq Mars. The Princess de Gonzaga ! She and I 
Were playmates from our budding infancy ; 
Played hide and seek ; picked daisies on the moors ; 
We sailed our shallops on our mimic seas, 
And never dreamt our happiness was sin 
Or thought man's petty laws could outrage Heaven's 
Decrees and fence up Cupid with stone metes 
And bounds as calves are fenced. 

Richelieu. You learned it afterwards. 

Cinq Mars. Yes, when I put the manly toga 
on; 
But vowed to win some rank would not demean 
A princess, and she vowed to wait. 

Richelieu. Two nights ago, at Sainte Chapelle ? 

Cinq Mars. Your spy was there. Then Fortune's 
sea was at 
Its flood, and surged about the throne. 

Richelieu. But Richelieu still lived, and while he 
breathed, 
Although he gasped, 'twas vain to hope to rule 
This broad domain of France. 

[Richelieu has a ft of coughing. 

Cinq Mars. I thought not so that night. The wis- 
dom of 
To-day is oft the folly of to-morrow. 

Richelieu. But Marion de Lorme, my niece, why 
took 
You her, a runaway, and mured her up 



202 THE LION AT BAY 

Within your chateau, all alone ? 

[Marion, not knowing Cinq Mars is here, has 
come hack, and appears in background. 
Cinq Mars. The tooth of slander's sharpened oft by 

malice. 
Richelieu. You compromised her honor by that 
deed, 

[Richelieu is testing his feeling for his niece, to 
see if there is any possibility of marriage. 
Cinq Mars. Not so ! Our hunting-party, drenched 
with rain, 
Took refuge with a good Samaritan, 
My mother. 'Neath her roof the saintliest maid 
May bare her bosom to a staring world 
Without a breath of scandal. 

[Marion raises her hands to Heaven in thankful- 
ness and goes back. 
Richelieu. {Thankful). ISTo knight of olden time, 
not Charlemagne 
Could better guard a woman's jewelled casket. 
Cinq Mars. It is the truth, no varnished lie ! 
Richelieu. Those mists that choked the doorway of 
my mind 
Your words dispel. This treaty which you signed ? 
Cinq Mars. I saw a huge Colossus, standing on 
The neck of France, strangling religious freedom 
As he had strangled our nobility, 
And swore I'd lift his cloven, blood-drunk foot. 
'Twas then the Spanish legate tempted me. 
My crime was Brutus' sin. 



ACT FOURTH 



203 



Richelieu. The die he cast he won. Who takes up 
anus, 
Foments rebellion, thinks to lift the crown 
From off the head of power, he must win 
Or pay the penalty. 

Cinq Mars. I knew the risk, and I will pay the for- 
feit. 

Richelieu. 
blood. 

Cinq Mars. 

Richelieu. 
alty. 

Cinq Mars. 
him. 

Richelieu. 

Cinq Mars. 

Richelieu. 

Cinq Mars. 

Richelieu. 

Cinq Mars. 

Richelieu. 
Of five ? 

Cinq Mars. I dare to die ; I dare not be a coward. 
I dare not give the axe to those I'd thought 
To make immortal. [The secretary enters. 

Secretary. The King awaits your pleasure. 

Richelieu. Tell him I come at once. 

Secretary. He wishes you to bring the warrant. 

Richelieu. (Nods.) Send the jailer here. 

[Jailer comes in. 



But other souls are red with treason's 

But mine is bloodiest. 
But all who sinned should share the pen- 

You catch the thief before you punish 

Their names are legion. 

The world was up in arms against you. 
The leaders, who are they ? 

Go ask the Sphinx her riddle! 
Give me the names of twenty ? 

J^o. 
Of ten ? [Cinq Mars shakes his head. 



204 THE LION AT BAY 

The majesty of France demands that he 
Who aims a dagger at her heart should die. 
To consort with her enemies is death. 
My heart had once a woman's tenderness, 
But I have tempered it to Spanish steel. 
That heart that flutters at the thought of tears 
Or blood, his name's not Richelieu. The sword 
Of state hangs o'er your head. Consider well 
What I have said. 

[Richelieu retires. The Jailer handcuffs Cinq 
Maks as the curtain falls. 



y 



ACT FIFTH 205 

ACT V 

I 
Scene I 

A cell in the Conciergerle, dimly lighted; straw on the 
floor for a bed. De Thou and Cinq Mars. 

Cinq Mars. Our trial was a travesty of justice; 
Those minions of the Cardinal, who judged us, 
Vomited his vengeance ! 

De Thou. Our judges were unjust; yet justly we 
Must die, for we have crossed that narrow line 
That parts the patriot from traitor. 

Cinq Mars. 'Tis wanton arrogance for man to at- 
tempt 
To poise the scala of justice ! He who sees 
Our hearts and reads their secrets, He alone 
Can part the sheep from goatsi. 

De Thou. We die to-day, the jailer says, at dawn. 

Cinq Mars. Our steps are on the threshold of that 
land 
Whose glens are voiceless and whose echoes dumb, - 
And frail inhabitants are shadowless ; 
Whose shores are laved by that Lethean stream 
Forever seeks Eternity's dread sea ; 
I hear the speechless murmur of its waves 
And feel its ghostly spray; it chills my cheek; 
I dimly see the spirit forms of saints 
And hear the rustle of seraphic wings 



206 THE LION AT BAY 

And feel the holy warmth of loving hands; 

A friendly kiss now courts my brow, my lips; 

I hear sweet benisons of welcome say : 

" These are the Realms of Death ; here are the fields 

Elysian ; around you are the forms 

Of martyrs, saints who loved their fellow men." 

And who shall say, when the Great Books are opened, 

Our acts are weighed, our failures, methods, motives 

And deeds the sun has never seen, that one 

Who faced in silence Night and blinding sleet 

And Arctic storms, with, for his lantern, Love, 

May not, among the first, receive the crown ? 

[^ hnocl'ing at the door. The Turnkey opens it, 
and Marion de Lorme enters, disguised as 
a Sister of Mercy. 
Turnkey. The Lady Superior of the Convent of St. 
Ursula. 

[Marion noiu unveils Tier face. 
Cinq Mars. Why, Marion, is this not you ? 
Marion. Speak not so loud ! These walls may not 

be deaf. 
Cinq Mars. How came you here ? How gained you 

access ? 
Marion. The Cardinal allowed our holy mother 
The privilege to give Life's dying grace. 
And she commissioned me. 

Cinq Mars. We die at dawn. 

Marion. So reads the sentence. But this shall not 

be! 
Cinq Mars. This shall not be ? And why ? 



ACT FIFTH 207 

Marion. We have a scheme annuls the Court's de- 
cree. 

De Thou. But how and when and where ? 

Marion. ISJ'ow listen patienti}'. Speak not one word 
Until the purpose of this mission I unroll. 
Before the lark shall call from night the Dawn 
And summon to their tombs the wandering ghosts, 
Some thirty trusty friends, armed to the teeth, 
Will meet within our trysting-place. 
Caparisoned, disguised in various garbs 
As pedlars, artisans and troubadours, 
As clowns and acrobats and street musicians. 
Plere will our plan of battle be arranged. 
Thence, issuing forth by devious ways and lanes, 
We'll wend our steps unto the Square of Henry 
Fourth : there a scaffold has been built from which, 
The Cardinal declares, you both shall bid 
Farewell to Day, the world and its enchantments. 
These leaders of your troops who never fought 
Will crowd around the foremost edge. Some noise, 
Dispute will court the guard's attention. 
When, quick as thought, some few will climb the stage. 
The others in a vise will clutch the guards; 
A twinkle sees you spirited away, 
Disguised and mounted on some flying steeds 
As swift as couriers of the air, away 
From sight and Paris or immured awhile 
Within the catacombs till Fortune brings 
Escape to Spain. What think you of our plot ? 

Cinq Mars. It has a pleasant savor. 



208 THE LION AT BAY 

Marion. About its eoiisumination ? 

De Thou. How many soldiers will be there ? 

Marion. The jailer says — he's ours! — a dozeu 
more or less. 

Cinq Mars. What signal has your coup d'etat i 

Marion. The dropping of your handkerchief. 

Cinq j\[ars. This asks for our consent. 

Marion. In the giving of the signial only! 

De Thou. The Duke de Bouillon is your leader ? 

Marion. Yes. 

De Thou. Thinks he the plot will prosper? 

Marion. 'Twill sink or swim, he says ; which, mat- 
ters not. 
We all embarked our fortunes in one pinnace, 
And all should suffer shipwreck together 
Or reach some landlocked harbor. 

Cinq Mars. I fear 'twill fail. 

Marion. (Lovingly.) But then we die together. 

Cinq Mars. 'Twere better two than all ! 

Marion. Not so! For death ends all, while life, 
although 
It drags an endless chain of sorrows, heartaches, 
Repinings, starings into vacancy. 
Is better than that everlasting stillness. 

[The Tuml-ey unlocl-s the door and says: 

TurnJcey. The Lady Superior's mission is ended. 

Cinq Mars. Grant us, good Jacques, two minutes 
more. 

Marion. Two minutes more ! Then I'll return — 
Our scheme is understood ? 



ACT FIFTH 209 

Ciru^ Mars. Quite well. 
Marion. In each detail? 

Cinq Mars. And we will carefully consider it. 
Marion. Consider ? 
Cinq Mars. We cannot now say more. 
Marion. Has life no charms for you? 
Cinq Mars. liut few. My hopes are dry as Egypt's 
dust, 
My candle sputters in the socket. 

[ De Thou retires to the corner. 
Marion. {Deeply affected.) Then live for others, 
country, home and friends ! 
Another life, now burning low, goea out 
When yours expires! 

Cin/^ Mars. But men would die by scores if we 
should fail ; 
Scores, yes, hundreds. Marion, sometimes 
You may have thought me blind, but not unkind, 
I hope. If we had met in happier times 
Our lives, perhaps, had flowed together like 
Some brook that wanders down the hill. of life 
Singing sweet lullabies, sparkling with joy. 
If ne'er we meet again this side that river 
Whose distant thunders echo in my ears, 
Then may my dying eyes behold your face 
The last of all things earthly ! 

\^Kisses her on the forehead. She swoons in his 
arms, hut recovers when the hey is turned in 
the door, and walks out. Cinq Maks and 
De Thou prepare their couch on the straw. 



210 MM 1 1<] I.I ON AT UAY 

Dc 'riioii. '\\\v iii«;lil. is iiliiiosi .s|t('iil. And iKiw Id 
Sl('('|t 
DaiM up till' HurtJjin^' tide of ('arc, draw oiiL 
The tangled threads (»f Kale with kindly (iuji^ors, 
While ealiii IMii l(>so|iliy lier iiiiioidi^lit slieds 
To li<;liteM Sleep's sweet, labors. 

[They lie down, on llirir coiiclics and llic shu/c Is 
dimmed (o d<ir/>-ncss. Wliilf llici/ sleep. 
Maicion sin</s from the side of llie sUuje, 
iinse<'n, the folloiein<i son;/: 
Marion. Sleep! Sleep! My darling, sli'ep ! 
May Peace her vigils keep. 
And may Death's aii^id weej), 
To-morrow's (hiwn to Bcel 
[The fuinlesl rai/s of dnirn hej/in to ereep aeross 
the stiuje. V\^(i Mak-s and Di'; Tiioii awake. 
De Thon. V\v slept, within the arms of Death as 
a\vo(^tly 
As pvor haho upon its mother's breast. 
1 thought the (ieiiiiis of IMiilos(»pliy 
Slotxl watching- o'er my eoueh and held aloft 
A torch t.o li<;hl my steps alonji' some path 
l/n<;id)iions and tortuons. It led 
Me far away to some enchant inii,' land. 
Have yon slept well '( 

Cinq Mars. At. limes! At limes I heard a cata- 
ract.'s 
Hoarse roar, and felt my f(X)tsteps sliding' down 
Upon its eroHtcd billow, sliding, glidinj:; down 
Through freezing uiists to some Lothean pool. 



A(!T FIFTTl 



21 



Al. liiiK'K I limi/?; jiKithhI, ii pi-ccipico, 

My (iri^cfM (•liilcliin/.'; ;il, I lie Mlirhir^'; r(»rk, 

Willi iiiui^lil rxc(|)| iiiiiiKuiHily of h|hic(v 

'I'd rjilcli MIC, liilliii^, ill ilM /jiioHlly jiniiH. 

()iic liinc, n (i/z;<'r Hl.ilif'd inr jiiid <lr;inI'L 

My Hn|il»iiin hlodil. Ami once I Mcrcniiicd willi uliiiiiui 

Ah lliirly |)iii('M (•( {:;liiHHy cycH Hliirc<| I'orlli 

And lliirly Ixiiiy (iii^'crH |ioiiilci| llniii, 

Ah if In Hiiy, " 'rimii jii-|, our miirdircr." 

Slicli H|K'<'lr('H liovrriii;.'; ruimd llic llirnnc id licjiiiuii 

A ITri/.dil, I lie jiKlf^-iincul. 

lie. Thou. All, hIc(|( loiiclicd iiol, H<i H<d I iy nii yoiir 
cyclidM 
Ah on III inr. A re \vc lo die of li vc ? 

(Unt/ Mars. Would you could lil'l, lliiii loiid I rom 
ofT my Hlioiild<'rH ! 

/h' 'I'Ikiii. ^'oll ;irc tlic c;i|»l;iiii, I llic .uiilor. 

I I linoclr al. llic door, '/'lie Tiiniliri/ ciilcrs. 

'rvrvlcy. Your li(nir Ikih ('.orric ! I*rc[iiirc! 

dim/ Mars. (Jood .l:i<'(|iic», how m;iny lircd Iriiv 
(dlci-H 
lhiv(! yon U:<\ lirincc; lo mccl llic licfnlnmnn '? 

'I'uriikry. A Hcorc or ho. 

r'///// Miirs. All :i|)|ilc:: |iliicl;c<l l>y Ificliclicn ? 

T 11X71 licy. Y(^h, nil. 

/A; 'J'li.ou. And nil l)r;ivc men? 

Turnkey. All died, Ihcir lnind:( ii|>on llicir IicihIh. 

dhiKi Mar.H. (iood .l;ic(|ii(vi, how did llicy rohc Ihcni- 

HfdvCH Ut irKXil, 

'J'Ik! lujiidHirian ? 



212 THE LION AT BAY 

Turnkey. In different garbs, as suited each. 

Cinq Mars. We two are dressed as for my wedding- 

For I had thought the priest would shrive me, 

And not the headsman. [ They all go out. 



Scene II 

The Execution 

The gray of morning. A square in Paris, showing the 
equestrian statue of Henry Fourth, and behind it a 
scaffold draped in black. People passing or collect- 
ing to see the execution. A knife-pedlar; a shoe- 
maker with sabots strung across his shoulders; a 
mason; a tailor; a carpenter, on his way to his work, 
with his tools in his hands; a street musician with 
a violin, another with a flute; a merry -andrew ; a 
dog-fancier ; a gambler showing tricks at cards. 
These are all conspirators in disguise. Three of them 
are Duke de Bouillon, Coligny, and Marion de 
LoRME^ who is dressed as a nun. Coligny and 
Bouillon pretend to be returning from an all-night 
revel, and appear intoxicated. 

Coligny. Oh, what a night of bacchanalian fun! 
My head's a hogshead, seething with fumes and aches, 
A geyser, spouting vapors. Ugh ! It reels 
And floats and bubbles like a cauldron. 



ACT FIFTH 213 

Bouillon. (Feigning intoxication.) Mine swims as 
bladders do upon the waves ; 
'Tis filled with gas ! Are you two men or one ? 

Marion. You need some effervescent medicine 
To still these vapors of the brain. 

Coligny. What's this? An execution? The stage 
is readv. 
Some poor unlucky waif upon life's sea 
Sails into port to-day. 

Bouillon. Perhaps some hungry oaf has filched a 
loaf 
Of bread, and pays the forfeit ! 

Coligny. {To a hy slander.) My man, whose wed- 
ding-day is this ? 
Bystander. ]^o wedding-day. 'Tis Cinq Mars' fu- 
neral ! 
Bouillo7i. Cinq Mars ! Who's he? 
Bystander. A friend of Richelieu. 
Another. King Louis' friend! His sword was at 
the throat 
Of Eichelieu ! 

Coligny. (Pointing to the statue.) His royal fa- 
ther, yonder, ne'er regaled 
His friends in such a bloody fashion ! 

Bouillon. Tut ! Tut ! The stones have ears. 
Three-card-monte Man. Come pick your card ! 
Who wins gets twenty sous. 
Don't be frightened of the widow ! She's a lucky card ! 
\_Two or three gather around, him. The dog-fancier 
shows off a trick with his dog. 



214 THE LION AT BAY 

Dog-fancier. Pitch jour coppers at him ! He'll 
catch them in 
His mouth. Don't throw him any francs or louis! 
They'll break his teeth. 

[Two cooks hurry in. 
First Cook. You said he was to die at dawn ! 
Second Cook. Yes, dawn! So Jacques the Jailer 

told ray wife. 
First Cook. I've left the coffee on the hob and the 
bread 
In the oven, and can't wait long. These 
Butchers are so slow sometimes. Who swings 
The axe to-day ? Old Jacques ? 

Second Cook. JSTo, Young Jacques, I hear ; and he's 
no novice 
With his axe. Young Jacques can cut with 
Twice the skill of his old daddy. No mutton 
Will be cleaner cut. He's the slaughterer at the 
Shambles in Saint Antoine. 

[The snuffled notes of a drum are heard, and a 
procession appears, comprising half a dozen 
halberdiers, escorting Cinq Mars, De Tiiou 
a7id Pp:re Hyacinthe. They kneel in the 
middle of the stage. 
The Jailer. Ten minutes, so my orders read, 
For your farewells and prayers. 

[Tlic halberdiers fall back a little. Cinq Mars 
and De Tnou and tlie priest kneel and say 
their prayers. Meanwhile, at the side of the 
stage : 



ACT FIFTH 215 

Marion. How many giuirdsmen are there ? 

[/??- an undc.rionp. 
Bouillon. I sro but six. 

Marion. That's all I see! How many do we num- 
ber? 
Bouillon. I sec bnt twenty-nine. There should be 

th i rty. 
Marion. Some one is late. 
Bouillon. Some one may play us false. 
Marion. But we are five to one. The horses, are 

they ready ? 
Bouillon. Two stand beside the nave of Sainte 
Chapelle, 
Both picked by Grandison, and two disjyuises. 
Marion. But which way shall they ride ? 
Bouillon. That circumstance must tell. But this 
seems wise. 
On mounting;, they should separate, and owe 
Should ride towards Saint Denis; the other ride 
Adown along the Seine. At Saint Cloud bridge 
A boat is moored, which either one can take 
And row down-stream, and on to Rouen, Havre, 
And there take ship for England. Is one headed, 
Cut off, let him bestir himself for Cluny, 
Where some one waits for him, to let him in 
And vanish. Thence his eager steps can reach 
The Catacombs, where food for twenty days 
Is garnered, till we spirit him to Spain. 
Marion. Well planned ! We cannot fail. 

[Softly to Cinq Mars. 



216 'rilM LION AT HAY 

'I'lic wiiidn ol IdrhiiKi Mow uui' way iiiid licuir 
Our ciilorpriHc (o Hiifcly'H liiii'l)<»r. 

('iiKf Miirs. hllcniily'H ^rcal. hcii Iiiih ImiI, (hio |M»rl, 
Of <'iil,i"v. I)«iiilli HliimlH Hciilry al. ilH pile! 
No rdviiif.' wIikIh ciiii (''(ir il.H siirliHT iiilllc. 
"riw landlocked '^iiiiiMt. Ill(^ hIopiiis of envy, niallco, 
Andiilion, InsI, of |M»\vt'r, ^rccd of \\v\i'. 
'I'Ik^ Hilnifc (d o|(li\i(in Im licarl's caw* 
To W(n»ry |>ilf;'rini,s »»n llir llioniv road 
(^f \\'i^\i (Midcavor. 

Mdnou. hcalli Im anndiilal ion ! Kdlci' far 
'I'o linri (lir iliMcns, llion/j;li il inins its aim, 
Than nil and .si/di williin ni;^ld'H lint lcrin|!; lent. 
Iloff now ai'c Iwrnlv nine swttrn fricndH. 

(^niij Mars. T\\v l.liiilictli is a liaitoi! Ih* wili Icil 
Wlinlo'rr jiclidc yon lici'c, and hoir yonr nanic^H 
To Ivicliclicn'H (|iii<'k car. II is slcntli ImnndH llicii 
Will linid from Saint MicIicTs lone rock away 
To wlicrc Siro<'co siiif^s its nicl(MlicM 
To Afric'M Haldc Hons, atid find llicni all 
And tear IIkmu litnl) from lind>. 

Marion. All, all have shi|t|>cd for this sanu^ voya^*, 
and conl(^ 
What, nuiy, wc all slaMild die* t.o^^ctla^r. 

(^iiKf !\l(irs. Not so! "Pis Ix^tlcr two than (liirly: 
Letter 
Wo di(> tluin civil war should aproad its winfj^H, 
lt,H vnlturo \vin/^H o'or V^'ancc^ Snnk in tlu^ s(^a, 
No ripple Hoon will tell onr sepidchie. 
l''rancc will hreatlw^ easier when we are ptno. 



ACT FlI'Tll 217 

Jailer. Tlic l,iiii»< lor Ijin-wdls and praycrH Ih crHh^d. 
[^Whilc the procession, is fonnin/j to <jo to the, sraf 
fold tht; curtdin fails. 



Hcom/', III 

Richelieu's dahitirt a</ai/n,, satnc as Art I , h'rcnr I. lie. 
is (lyiiK) in his rliair of heart faihirc. Makhin, IIai'- 
'I'tsTK an<l the doctor staiul, or kneel alxnit hita. 'I'lint 
months have elapsed since the execution. Ma it ion 
is rubhinrj his hands to keep up the circulation. 

Marion. Ilo dooH nol, l)r()iil,lK^. Ih (IiIh IIic f^iid ? 

Doctor. No(, yfit! 1 1 Ih |»iiln(! Hlill I1iiIIci-h. 

I ItMii KMKii opcruH huH ci/cs and sees Maicion. 

fiichcticn. I '(tor cfiild ! 

Marion. Tliirdv nol/ of mc, Ixil, of yoiirHflf, 

Richelieu. Whal, day ih IFiIh? 

Marion. \)cci-ti\\>('r foiirlh. 'TiH Sal iiiday. 

RichcUra. Two inonliiH, l.wo inoiilii.s Hiiicr', ('inf| 
Mai-H difd. Ah, rn<(! 
[ lillici thoii^hl, to Iroad u[)on fiiH ]^^•('^H 
So Hoon. (Hi(jhs) I'lil, Tiirirr, \]\i^, (Jroal, Avcnfroir., 

makes 
Uh all, llic priru'f!, iJif, [)ri<^Hl,, iJifi lovor, yen, 
T]u' Haiiit, i\\<'. rifli, tjic [)oor, <i'*rri l.azaniH, 
Who lickf'd the, (rriirnl)H from Divfi.s' tahh^, (Miiial 
At tlif! frrnvcl What ricvvH from S|)aiii ? 

liayliste. The treaty ia annullod and all Ih [toace. 



218 THE LION AT BAY 

Richelieu. That load is off my heart! O France, 
dear France ! 
When first I grasped your trembling hand, your steps 
Were like a tottering child's. But you are stronger. 
The bloom of health now flushes manhood's brow, 
Defiance blazes in your eye. No group 
Of satrapies ! A kingdom now ! And grown 
The arbiter of Europe. Austria 
Is on her knees, and Spain's your suppliant. 

Baptiste. But England's in the throes of revolution ! 
Richelieu. Yes, Charles will lose his throne. The 
Puritans, 
With Cromwell at their head, will rule that land. 

Baptiste. These were your enemies, and all have 
been 
Subdued. 

Richelieu. I have had many enemies, but all 
Were enemies of France. 

Baptiste. And all forgiven ? 
Richelieu. All enmities are ended at the grave. 
[He has a fit of hiccoughs, incident to heari-failure, 
and appears to he dead. But he rallies suf- 
ficiently to say in a feeble voice: 
Tell . . . Mazarin . . . this . . . country must have 

peace . . . 
Peace . . . peace . . . peace . . . [He dies. 

{The King comes in in haste. 
Mai-ion. Too late, your Majesty ! lie's dead. 
King. This was a great, great politician! 
Such politicians, dead, are crowned as statesmen. 



TYUOLESE PATRIOTS 



THE PLOT 221 



THE PLOT 

Time, 1809. Between the battles of Essling and 
Wagram. For five hundred years the Tyrol had been 
under the protection of Austria, its people, who were 
mountaineers, enjoying constitutional freedom. Their 
country and their life resembled that of the Swiss. 
The treaty of Schonbrunn, made after Austerlitz 
(1805), had given them to Bavaria, — their lands but 
not their hearts. Bavaria had tried to reduce them 
to subjection by destroying their self-government, era- 
sing their boundaries, preventing their priests from 
conducting the mass without taking the oath of alle- 
giance, and blotting from the map even the name of 
their country. She taxed the people without mercy. 
There were few either of the priests or people who 
would bow their neck and walk under the Bavarian 
yoke. 

In the spring of 1809, I^apoleon began another war 
with Austria. Their former Emperor begged Tyrol 
to revolt, and they eagerly heard his prayer, and rose 
as one man. Andreas Hofer, Straub, Harpinger, 
Speekbacher, and Oppacher were among their leaders. 
The defeat at Essling and the isolation of half his 
army on the isle of Lobau compelled Napoleon to call 
all his troops from the Tyrol, and as many as possible 
from Italy, to Vienna. The patriots took advantage 
of this good fortune to capture Innsbruck and set up 
a patriot government. They reduced the taxes and 



222 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

repealed the obnoxious laws. Ilofer, as leader of the 
patriot council, became the Peasant-King of Tyrol and 
its real ruler for six full months. Some forty thou- 
sand French-Bavarians had been taken to Vienna, and 
Prince Eugene and Marshal Macdonald had taken two 
divisions out of Northern Italy, and this left the pa- 
triots a free hand. 

But Wagram changed the tide. It took two thou- 
sand square miles of territory from Austria, and three 
millions and a half of people, and released the French- 
Bavarians who had held the Tyrol down. The leading 
Tyrolese were driven to the mountains, were hunted 
with dogs, killed, starved, drawn and quartered. An 
amnesty was offered, but many, though believing resist- 
ance useless, would not lay down their arms. Hofer 
advised submission, but had not the heart to desert his 
misguided friends. Defeated, he was driven to the 
mountains for refuge. The Emperor offered to create 
him Count of Tyrol and give him a suitable annuity, 
but he refused the offer. Born a peasant, he would 
die a peasant. 

When finally caught he was court-martialed. The 
court martial, in appreciation of the mercy he had 
shown to others, wanted to save his life, but Napoleon 
would have none of this and ordered his immediate 
execution. 



SCENES 223 



SCENES 

Act I, Scene I. The Tyrol beneath Bavaria's 
harrow. A village green, an inn on the 
left, and the fagade of a church at the 
background of the stage. 
Scene II. Same scene. Rebellion ram- 
pant. 
Scene III. Same scene. Preparing for 
war. 

Act II, Scene I. The rendezvous of the conspir- 
ators. A mountain gorge in a forest, 
with a bridge at back of stage. 
Scene II. Same scene. The attempt to 
blow up the bridge and the advance of 
the patriot army. 

Act. Ill, Scene I. A square in Innsbruck. The 
gate of Maximilian's palace at back of 
the stage. The success and the destruc- 
tion of the patriot government. After 
the battle of Wagram. 

Act IV, Scene I. Hofer's hut in the mountains. 
His capture. 
Scene II. The Quay of St. Mark's and 
the Bridge of Sighs at back of stage. 
Saved by the court martial. Shot by 
Napoleon's order. 



224 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Posters 

I. A Tyrolose TTiintor. 

II. The Pcasjiiit-Kiiig on horseback. 

III. Greteheii in the costume of a 'i'yrolese girl 

— as ''Daughter of the Regiment." 

IV. Enielia, a beautiful Italian girl, " Daugh- 

ter of the Medici." 



DRAMATIS PERSONS 225 

THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE 

Andreas ITofre, ihe Peasant-King. An innkeeper 
in the village of Hand, and leader of the Tyr- 
olese. 

Joseph de Medici, one of the Medici of Florence. 
A scholar and arderd patriot 

Josepu Speckhaciiek^ a hunter, unlettered, hut an able 
soldier. In love with Gretchen. About twenty- 
five years old. 

Baeon IfAPiiBURG, an Austrian noble. In love with 
Emelia. 

Col. Dittfurt, commander of the Bavarian Guard. 
Defender of Innsbruck. 7'he Gesler of the Tyrol. 

Eeiar Joachim, a Romi'ih priest and ardent pa- 
triof. 

Peter Geuber, 



Tyrolese pdtriots, who rep- 
resent the different can- 
tons. Young students or 
leaders in their ccmtons. 



Joseph Straub, 
Jacob Sieberer, 

WiLHELM WiNTERSTALT., 

Anton Oppacher, 

Heinrich Etschman, 

Peter Wiesland, J 

Joseph Rafelle, a Jew, the Judas who betrays 

Ilofer. 
Two Bavarian Guardsmen; several Soldiers; several 

Tyrolese men, women and children. 



226 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Emelia de Medici, daughter of Joseph de Medici. A 
handsome, clever, masterful woman and ardent 
patriot, 

Anna Hofer, wife of Andreas. A German hausfrau. 

Gretchen Hofer, her daughter, about eighteen years 
old. In love with SpecJchacher. 

IsABELLE Gamper, a Servant in Hofer's family. 

Hofer's Son, a hoy of ten years. 



ACT FIRST 227 



ACT I 

Scene I 

Time J, 1809. A village square. On the left of the 
stage is the entrance to an inn. From the front of it 
is a hanging sign, with the words, " The Sandhof, 
Andreas Hofer." A pair of chamois horns is over 
the entrance. A table for guests statids in front of 
the inn. In the background is the fagade of a church, 
showing its big doors. Anna Hofeb is carding flax 
upon a frame and Gretchen is spinning on a flax- 
wheel, Anna dressed as a Tyrolese peasant and 
Geetchen 0^ a girl of the peasant class. 

Gretchen. You've seemed so sad the last few days, 
dear mother ! 
A cloud has hung upon your brow ; your eyes 
Have seemed to gaze afar, miles off, as if 
They feared the shadow of some evil. 

Anna. 'Tis nothing, dear ! A passing cloud ! 
Gretchen. But passing clouds ne'er linger on the 
Brenner 
As this one does. 

Anna. 'Tis naught should cast its shadow over you ! 
Gretchen. "Whatever care has laid its hand on you 

[Coming up to her. 
Has gripped your daughter's heart. 'Tis right it 
should. 



228 THE TYRQLESE PATRIOTS 

Tell me your secret, mother. [Kissing her. 

Anna. That old, that horrid ghost of revolution! 
This ghastly spectre shakes its head at us 
And makes your father's days a sepulchre 
Of buried hopes. 

Gretchen. No new guest in our forest home ! 

Anna. No. Ever since that sun of Austerlitz 
'T has sat, unbidden, at our fireside ! 
It sits beside us at our board and eats 
The bread of poverty and never starves. 
'Tis four years since the hand of conquest tore 
The Tyrol from its mother-breast 't had nourished 
And laid its aching head upon for ages. 
Napoleon bade us love another King 
And hate the heart had loved us. 

Gretchen. Oh, poor, poor Tyrol ! Poor, poor Tyrol ! 
How her children weep 
At their misfortunes and their mother's fate ! 

Anna. Those tendrils which for five long centuries 
Have wound their loving fingers round her heart, 
They cannot be so boldly wrenched away 
And forced to live in alien soil. 

[A storm is gathering. 

Gretchen. Bavaria, our foster-mother, she — 
Does she not grow more kind ? 

Anna. She's crueller than ever! No charity 
For our old love ! Had she but been e'en kind 
We Tyrolese had walked in leading-strings, 
And, maybe, kissed the hand had smote us. 
Had she half-kept the plights and promises 



ACT FIRST 229 

She made when she adopted us, she might 

Have smothered these fires that burn so fiercely now. 

Gretchen. But what is fanning them to flame ? 

Anna. Ah ! I must tell you, child. You ought to 
know. 
Napoleon now is coiled about Vienna. 
Bavaria is levying contributions 
Of men and money to feed his mad ambition. 
The Austrian Emperor has sent his couriers here 
To beg his faithful Tyrolese to rise 
And snap Bavaria's chains. 

[Gretchen sits at her mother's feet. 

Gretchen. And will our people rise ? 

Anna. The Tyrol is a cauldron of sedition 
And brews Protean schemes. 

Gretchen. But this will lead to bloodshed ? 

[Meditatively. 

Anna. This fear is not a stranger to our hearts. 
Your father holds the lamp to hope, forbearance, 
And all Passayerthal hangs on his lips 
As Israel hung on Moses' ! 

Gretchen. These men whose steps with stealth at 
night 
Visit so oft our hearthstone, these are patriots ? 

[Thunder and lightning. 

Anna. {Emhracing her daughter, half -frightened.) 
Too true, my child ! A storm is gathering. 
The sides and mountain-tops are over-charged 
With sulphur; lightnings stretch their bony arms 
And fiery fingers towards the eastern summits : 



230 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

These portents have some bloody meaning. 

[Flashes. 
They are the flashings of the angry eye of God ! 
Gretchen. And what can woman do ? 
Anna. What woman always has and always must. 
Gretchen. (Eagerly.) What's that ? 
Anna. Be patient and endure ! 
Gretchen. But should the storm-cloud burst, what 

then ? 
Anna. Be helpmates to the men ; bind up their 
wounds, 
Stay here at home and sow and reap the crops, 
And knit and mend and spin and weave. 

Gretchen. The fires of one revolution, so 
Emelia says, turned spoons to bullets. 

Anna. Ah ! She's a daughter of the Medici 
And knows much more of history than I. 

Gretchen. 'Twas in the New World women melted 
down 
A statue of their King to mould to bullets. 
Anna. Exemplars for our Tyrolese ! 

[Emelia appears. 
Gretchen. Here comes Emelia. 

[Jumping up and running to meet her. 
[Emelia comes forward and Anna rises to greet 
her. 
Emelia. Why are you both so sad ? Your faces are 
As long as Father Joachim's sermons. 

Gretchen. Oh, mother — has — been — saying — 

[Hesitating. 



ACT FIRST 231 

Anna. Saying — you have not told your beads to- 
day ? [Playfully. 
December showering snow upon the head 
Of May! December is a cruel jade! 

Gretchen. Oh, no ! Not that ! 

Emelia. You've put too little rennet in the milk ? 

Gretchen. Xot that, indeed ! 

Emelia. ISTot salt enough in your last churning? 

Gretchen. (Smiling.) ISTo ! No! 

Emelia. Forgot to feed the lambs ? 

Gretchen. No, never that! Now you must guess 
again. 

Emelia. The weasels making mincemeat of your 
chickens ? 
Tut ! Tut ! I have you now. 

Gretchen. Not yet ! Not yet ! 

Emelia. Ah ! Joe has not been here to-day. Ha ! 
Ha! 
I have you now. Your face confesses it. 

Anna. You are in merry mood to-day, Emelia. 
What makes us sad is of a graver sort. 

Emelia. Death has not shot an eagle shaft 
Among your kin ? [Alarmed. 

Anna. Not yet ! Not yet ! May God be praised ! 

[Knocks on wood. 

Emelia. " Not yet ? " What can this mean ? 

Gretchen. Come, may I tell our secret, mother ? 

Anna. But little news to her, I fear! 

Gretchen. Have — you — yet — heard ? Emelia, 
do you know [Taking her hand i/a hers. 



232 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

That our Passayerthal is festering with revolution ? 

Emelia. I know my father has been writing hats- 
full 
Of mystic symbols, saying: " The Time has come." 
T know that Mercuries are on the wing 
Like bats, conveying them, by night, now here, 
Now there and everywhere. I heard, one night 
When sleep sat lightly on his eyelids, 
Him say: '^Put shavings, soaked in blood, afloat 
Upon the river Inn." 

Anna. What mean such bloody portents ? 

Emelia. He has not said, nor have I asked. 

l^Archly. 

Anna. But yet you know ? 

Emelia. Could I stand on the tower when patriots 
Are scattering cockatrice's poisoned eggs. 
And let my eyes swim on in dreamy sleep ? 
The heads that hatch such schemes may ere long grin 
From castle gates. 

Anna. These rocks, these walls, these solitudes 
have eyes. 
Have ears and tattling tongues, perhaps. {^Alarmed. 

Greichen. Yes, yes, speak not so loud, Emelia. 

[/n- a whisper. 

Emelia. They'll soon hear groans and sighs and 
women's wails. 
Hear whistling messengers, on ravens' wings, 
Splitting their ears with deadly whir and crash. 
Your father ? Will he soon return ? 

Gretchen. He's in the mountains, hunting. 



ACT FIRST 233 

Emelia. Chamois, no doubt! They must be thick 
as leaves. [Incredulously. 

Why, all our peasants have turned hunters ! Where'er 
You go, the men are in the mountains, hunting; 
Their wives crawl round like frightened deer. 

Anna. But on the Brenner is't the same ? 

Emelia. Yes, so I hear. 

Anna. And in the Pusterthal ? 

Emelia. The same. 

Anna. At Innsbruck, too? 

Emelia. The same. 

Anna. Along the Inn ? 

Emelia. The same. 

Anna. At Botzen so ? 

Gretchen. And in the Dolomites ? 

Emelia. (Half in mockery.) The same! The 
same ! The men are hunting. 

Anna. We can no longer hide our thoughts and 
fears. [^Frankly. 

You knov7 our hearts as well as we. 

Emelia. I know your hearts ! Your fears are idle 
winds ! 
We all wear telltale marks upon our faces: 
These hunters are conspirators. 

Anna. I fear they are. 

Emelia. For years we've groaned beneath a stagger- 
ing burden 
Of churches profaned, of taxes murderous; 
Our trades, the hands whereby we live, are wrenched 
From out our grasp ; our fathers, brothers, sons. 



234 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Conscripts to fight Napoleon's wars in Prussia, Spain, 

E'en in Vienna, where our kindred breathe 

The soft delicious atmosphere of home. 

The very name of Tyrol — dear to us 

Next to our own ! — e'en this that red right hand 

Would wrench from us. Our vales, which God has 

christened 
With his creative kiss of deity, 
These carpenters have hewed and portioned out 
In provinces, bounded and labelled so 
The Tyrolese now scarcely knows his home. 
This man insults the great Creator ; wrongs 
Our fathers by such acts. 

[The ranz des vaches is heard upon the mountains. 
All three listen. After awhile it is repeated. 
IsABELLE Gamper, the Servant, rushes in. 

Isabelle. 'Tis Joe ! 

Gretchen. Here come the students, mother ! 

Emelia. Our homes are but the spoils of conquest, 
thrown 
To Bavaria as offal is to dogs, 
To dull their appetites ! So lions tear 
The carcass of some steer apart and toss 
A leg to one, a shoulder to another. 
At Austerlitz this angry boy bethought 
To punish Austria by tearing off 
A province, valley, town, its people, too. 
To throw them to the greedy wolves and jackals 
Who followed at his heels. So Alexander — 
Another spoiled and petted child of Fortune ! — 



ACT FIRST 235 

Tore off some satrapy, tore out the heart 
Of Persia; threw them to his generals. 

[The ranz des vaclies is heard again nearer. 
Anna. (Reflecting.) I fear our lintel's blood- 
marked ! 
Emelia. {Continuing.) These masters grind the 
faces of our poor, 
They confiscate our land or bread for taxes. 
You know poor Marie Krieg, the farrier's wife, 
Whose husband went to Spain ? Poor Marie strove 
With might and main, from dawn to dawn again, 
To eke out pittances and feed her babes. 
She nursed the sick ; she sweltered in the fields ; 
When Winter clutched these in his icy vise, 
She knit, she sewed, she spun and wove for others, 
While Wilhelm's blood was drenching Moorish 
plains. 

[A hunter's voice is heard calling his dog. 
Her fight with want had left her thin and wan 
When April raised the latch on Hohenschwangau's 
Gates and let the Spring in gorgeous splendor in. 
On yester-e'en I passed her rookery 
And saw this sword of conquest send her forth 
A waif and wanderer. 

Gretchen. Poor Marie ! She's but one of hundreds, 
now 
Scouring these barren hills for roots and herbs. 
To keep the demon Hunger down. 

[Joseph Speckbacher enters with Jacob Stkaub, 
toth of Hall, and Heinrich Etschmak and 



236 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Peter Wiesland, both of Tassig. These lat- 
ter three are students in the University of 
Vienna. Joseph is a hunter, the Tell of the 
Tyrol. All are ardent patriots. They come 
on the stage sringing the " Marseillaise," hot 
and dusty from their long tramp. Some have 
their hats in their harids, and one has an Aus- 
trian flag ivaving from, his cane. They are 
dressed in the Tyrolean jager costume, with 
little green Tyrolean hats, an eagle's feather 
in each. 
Gretchen. We heard you up the mountain. 
Joseph. {Wiping the sweat from his forehead ivith 
his shirt-sleeve.) Well, by the Great Horn Spoon! 
We tramped across 
The Pass as if the Devil were on our heels ! 
Anna. But why such haste ? 

Straub. Only for fun ! We're on a lark. We've 
chucked 
Our books away to get a drink of mountain air. 
Etschman. And good Tyrolean beer ! 
Anna. You must be thirsty. 
Joe. Yes, we could drink a hogshead ! 

[Gretchen begins to arrayige the table. Puts on 
glasses and pretzels. 
Anna. (To Isabelle.) Go fetch some beer. 

IsABELLE goes to fetch some beer. 
Joe. A hogshead! (In an undertone to Gretchen.) 

Is anybody here ? 
Gretchen. We seem to be here, Joe. 



ACT FIRST 237 

Joe. {Laughing.) No! No! Police! 

[^His finger on his lips. 
Gretcheu: Oh, no ! What makes you ask ? You 

frighten me. 
Joe. They're skulking hereabouts. That's why I 

yodeled. 
Gretchen. I'm glad my father is away. 
Joe. But where is he ? 
Gretchen. Upon the mountain, hunting. 
Joe. (Amused.) Chamois, no doubt I They're 

thick as strawberries ! 
Gretchen. {Innocently.) Yes. 
Joe. As plentiful as baby elephants ! 

[IsABELLE comes in with a big pitcher of heer in 
each hand. Joe seizes one a^id, without wait- 
ing for a mug, begins to drmk. Straub 
tries to get it, but Joe runs across the stage 
with it, drinks his fill, and hands the pitcher 
to Straub, who finishes it and sets it on the 
table. The others are taking seats. 
Joe. {Wiping his mouth across his shirt-sleeve.) 
With beer like that all countries would be free ! 
Etschman. 'Tis better than Vienna beer. 
Straub. Och ! Much the same. 
Joe. But better beer than Munich. That's only 
ink! [All assent. 

Wiesland. Only for soft-shells ! 
Straub. Bavarian swells ! 
Joe. But not for mountain goats ! 

[Satiincally. 



238 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Strauh. Or chamois hunters ! 

[Anna and Gretchen take seats at the table. 
Anna drinks heer from the mugs with the 
others, hut not Gretchen. Emelia stands 
aloof, at the door of the Inn. 

Etschman. Come, a song! A song! 

[Others say, ''A song." 

Strauh. Come, Joe. Yes, a song. 

Joe. What shall it be ? 

Strauh. The " Stein Song." 

All. Yes, yes, " The Stein Song." 

[Joe, with a mug in his hand from which he 
drinhs occasionally , and his foot on a chair, 
sings " The Stein Song," a drinJcing-song 
popular in Boston ahout 1900. Others ap- 
plaud and join in the chorus, tapping their 
mugs on the table in time with the singing. 
Isabelle refills the pitchers and brings more 
pretzels when needed. When the song is 
ended, Steaub says: 

Strauh. That song is as filling as beer ! 

Joe. All right. Give me your shoppen. 

[He takes Steaub's mug, and drains it, to the 
amusement of the others. After a silence: 

Wiesland. Another song. [All assent. 

Joe. Come, Straub, it's your turn ! 

[Steaub, who has been growing sweet on 
Geetchen, sitting beside her, sings " Drink 
to me only with thine eyes," and tries, at the 
close, to fondle her under the chin. This she 



ACT FIRST 239 

smilingly resents. Joe sliows some impor 
tience at this liberty. Emelia smiles know- 
ingly at Anna, wlio resents Joe's attempt to 
make himself at home. She thinks him a bit 
of a vagabond. Clicking of glass in time 
and jollity. ' During this Hofer's Son, a 
boy of ten years, enters, followed by a Bava- 
rian Guardsman, chasing him. 
Boy. Help ! Help ! [Runniyig up to his mother. 
Guardsman. Come here, you little rebel. 
Boy. Save me, mother ! I didn't mean no harm. 
Anna. Why, what's the matter, dear ? 

[Stroking his head. 
Guardsman. Matter enough. I found this little 
rascal on the top of King Leopold's statue, riding on 
the horse behind the King, and half a dozen other boys 
were cheering him. Here they come, the pesky var- 
mints ! [Other boys come in. 
Boy. I didn't mean no harm. The other boys dared 
me, and I took the stunt. 

Anna. This is the statue of our new King! 

[Reproachfully. 
Another Boy. Bavaria's King, but not the Tyrol's. 
Guardsman. There! You see the very children 
here are rebels. 

Another Boy. He's not our King. The Tyrolese 
are Austrians ! 

Another Boy. King Francis is our King! 

[Guardsman tries to catch this boy, but they all 
rwn away. 



240 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Guardsman. I'll show you who's your King. 

[TaJces hold of Hofer's Son. 
Joe. 'Twas all in sport. 

Guardsman. Indeed, 'twas not ! It was only yes- 
terday these ragamuffins pelted spit-balls at King Leo- 
pold's face. Two nights ago they tied some tow to the 
horse's tail and set it afire. 

Anna. Some man suggested this. 
Hofer's Boy. A man told us about the tow. But 
the spit-balls were my own idea. 

[Some smile. 
Joe. But what's his crime ? 
Guardsman. Lese majeste. 
Straub. But this applies to living kings, not iron 

effigies. 
Joe. What's the penalty ? 
Guardsman. Two hundred marks. 
Several Voices. Two hundred marks for nothing! 
Guardsman. But those who ride with kings must 
pay a kingly price. 

[Starts to lead Hofer's Son off. 
Anna. Oh, let him go ! He'll never do this thing 

again. 
Guardsman. ISTo. He'll do more, perhaps. 
Joe. I'll vouch for him. 
Guardsman. Are you his father ? 
Joe. No. 

Guardsman. What, then ? 
Joe. Oh, — nothing, — yet. 

[Gretchen blushes, and Anna loohs stern. 



ACT FIRST 2^ 

Guardsman. Who will vouch for you ? Where is 

his father? 
Gretchen. He's in the mountains, hunting. 
Guardsman. (Satirically.) Humph! Hunting! 

What's his name ? 
Gretchen. Andreas Hofer. 
Guardsman. Arch-rebel of the Tyrol ! Come, come 

along ! 
Joe. You must not take this boy. 
Guardsman. I'll take you, too. 

[Gretchen appeals to Joe to refrain from inter- 
fering. 
Anna. His father will be here ere long. 

[Guardsman takes the hoy off. Anna, Gretchen, 
Joe follow. 
Emelia. They drink rebellion with their mother's 

milk! 
Strauh. And rarefy each drop by Freedom's breath ! 
Emelia. How long must we endure these chains ? 
Strauh. l^apoleon now is chained on Lobau Island. 
A courier from Vienna came to Innsbruck 
To order all the French-Bavarian troops 
Out of the Tyrol to his relief. 
Emelia. What's this I hear ? 
Etschman. Tell her the tale. 
Strauh. The Danube has been our deliverer. 
Emelia. But how ? 

Strauh. He sought to cross his army o'er the 
Danube ; 
It rose and swept his bridge away. 



242 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Half of his army now's on Lobaii Island. 

Lannes has been killed ; his dying words were these : — 

" You would sacrifice us all to your ambition." 

Emelia. The River-God in rage at his presumption I 

Straub. So Neptune's jaws once crunched old 
Spain's Armada. 

Emelia. The rills, whose baby drops have breathed 
the air 
Of Alpine heights, — those cradles of the glaciers! — 
The eagles and the stars watch piously ; 
There, in sweet Freedom's awful solitudes, 
They learned her sacred song; and this they chanted 
As down the steeps they swept in surging volumes 
Till Nature's diapason swelled to Danube's roar. 

Straub. Now here's the chance the Tyrol's longed 
for! 

Napoleon calls his sleuth-hounds to Vienna 
And the Tyrol can be free. 

Emelia. But the sleeping giant must awake. 

Eiscliman. Yes, every vale and hamlet must awake. 

Straub. And send their sons to form a patriot 
army — 

Etschman. And bulwark 'gainst invasion, 

Emelia. And who shall lead them ? 

Straub. Andreas ITofer. [All assent. 

Emelia. To-morrow he comes here. 

Straub. The Tyrol may be free ! 

[All go out, waving their hats and cheering. 



ACT FIRST 243 



Scene II 

Same scene as preceding. The morning after. Time, 
sunrise. Anna and Gretchen are on the stage vjhen 
the curtain rises, dressed as dairy-women. Anna 
stands at a tub in front of the door, wheying curd, 
and putting the whey in a bucket beside her. 
Gretchen is churning with a dash-churn. Isabelle 
Gamper^ the servant, passes in and out about her 
work. 

Gretchen. {Looking dovm over the valley below.) 
How sweetly smiles the God of Day, dear mother, 
Upon our village ! Smoke is curling up. 
See! Incense rises from a hundred altars, 
And forms in golden aureoles above 
Each happy home ! 

Anna. Yes, Sand is beautiful. When Father 
Joachim 
Came back from Palestine he told us all 
That Bethlehem, itself, lay not more sweetly 
Upon the bosom of Judea's hills ; 
Nor did that chosen people of our Lord 
Lie closer to their Master's heart. 

Gretchen. (Looking afar.) The herds are winding 
up the mountainside, 
Some loitering beside the brook to drink, 
Some playing hide-and-seek among the bushes. 
There are three heifers racing like three children ; 



244 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

The red one is ahead ! Xo, now the white ! 

Now Brindle is ahead ! Yes, Brindle wins ! 

The Bell-Cow stands there watching them like some 

Gray-bearded judge, who scorns such idle sport. 

I think sometimes they're happier than we. 

Amia. And why, dear child? 

Gretchen. They've naught to do but eat and drink 
and sleep ; 
They breathe clear ether, drink from sparkling springs, 
And feed on heather bred by sun and dew, 
And ramble where the sweet thyme climbs, and sleep 
Their thoughtless sleep where Xature spreads her tent. 

Anna. They have no moral nature, never know 
When right is right and wrong is wrong. 

Gretchen. But on these heights we tread that know 
no sin, 
No slums of vice, no whirlpools of temptation, 
Our native sense of right is much like theirs. 

Anna. What, man is like the beast? 

Gretchen. Our sensibilities are like our muscles: 
Unused, they're nerveless, limp and powerless. 

Anna. They have no souls, these beasts. 

Gretchen. The soulless lives they lead are happiest. 
The nearer to our Mother-Earth we come, 
To birds and beasts, devoid of conscience, the happier 
our lives. 

Anna. Then nuns who take the veil and dwell in 
cloisters 
Are happier than we. Yet who wovild lead 
Their dull and painless life-in-death ? 



ACT FIRST 245 

Gretchen. Ah me! (With a sigh.) I wonder if, 
when we are dead, 
Our souls do really enter beasts and birds ? 
Emelia says some Greek philosophers 
Thought so. If this be true, I wish my soul 
Might haunt some milk-white heifer 
And be beloved by Jove. 

Anna. (Smiling.) Then I should be the mother 
of a heifer, 
Be killed and eaten, skinned, and turned 
To seven-leagued boots. 

Gretchen. (Smiling and going up to her, affectiojv- 
aiely.) Oh, how absurd you are! You are too 
good 
And kind and sweet for such base uses ! 

Anna. (Stroking her hair.) I'm glad you are a 
girl with heaven-blue eyes, 
And cheeks as rosy and as sweet as dawn, 
So velvety the amorous winds delight 
To kiss them, kiss and kiss again as I do now. 

[Kissing her. 
Gretchen. And I am glad to be your loving daugh- 
ter, 
So both are satisfied. 

Emelia comes in, a little out of breath from climb- 
ing the hill. 
Emelia. What joy! What sweetness fills the air! 
'Tis drunk 
With sun and dew and nectrous perfumes! 
As I climbed up the hill your shining homes 



246 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Seemed like a group of snow-white nuns, fair maids 
Invested with the veil of sanctity. 

Anna. Such happy thoughts were guests, too, in our 
minds. 

Emelia. Last night I could not sleep with worrying. 
I lit my candle, took a book, and read 
The form and circumstance of consecration 
When first the Pope puts on the triple crown. 
'Tis meant to teach that piety of life 
Is more than all the panoply of power; 
For when that crown is placed upon his head, 
There in that chapel luminous with genius. 
With Angelo's Last Judgment facing him. 
And those colossal words are said, " Father 
Of Kings and Princes, Regent of the World, 
God's Vicar upon earth," a silver staff 
On which a mimic flame of flax is burning 
Is raised before him, and these words pronounced: 
" Sic transit gloria mundi " — so shall fade 
The glory of this world, for holiness 
Alone withstands the alchemy of God. 

Anna. {Kneeling and raising her folded hands.) 
A solemn sight in this our hour of peril ! 

Emelia. That symbol staggered me! Somehow 
these sleepless 
Hobgoblin nights, which so reduce our vigor, 
Help us to see our frailties. 

Anna. Is this not why some holy, godlike men 
Have lived by fasting, dwelt in dens and caves, 
Been hermits, anchorets, and stood on columns. 



ACT FIRST 247 

Chewed grass and herbs to crucify the flesh ? 

Emelia. No doubt! 

[Gketchen looks into the churn. 

Gretchen. Isabelle! Isabelle! Come take the 
churn, 
The butter has come. [Isabelle comes in for it. 

Anna. Come back and take the tubs to the dairy, 
And I will put the curd into the press myself. 

[Isabelle comes back and helps with the tub, and 
she and Anna go off. 

Emelia. {To Gketchen.) Where is Joe? 

Gretchen. He went to Sterzing early this morning. 

Emelia. When I left home my father too had left 
On wings for Sterzing. 

Gretchen. But why to Sterzing ? 

Emelia. Can you not guess? 

Gretchen. I half suspect. 

Emelia. The rendezvous! The League of Patriots 
Meets there — the centre of the Tyrol. 

Gretchen. Your father — told — you — this ? 

Emelia. Not he ! Oh, no ! But I have eyes and 



ears 



Gretchen. I, too, last night slept little. Dreaming, 
I saw 
An avalanche come sweeping down upon us. 
As Herculaneum was entombed beneath 
The fury of Vesuvius. 

Emelia. A dream ! A dream ! Naught more ! Our 
dreams are not 
Prophetic oracles, but vaporings 



248 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Of half -a wakened fancy. 

[Baron Hapsburg enters, in hunting costume, 
with gun and game hag. 
Gretchen. Here's some one come to see you. 

[Archly, in undertone. 
Emelia. He has his gun ; some other kind of deer 
He's hunting for. 

Gretchen. The antlered deer falls easier, but Cu- 
pid's 
Shots are feather-winged and not so deadly. 

Baron. Good-morrow, queen of dairy-maids! The 
sun 
To-day has played the laggard. His steps 
Were on the mountainside long after yours. 
Gretchen. An hour, perhaps. 
Baron. Diana, too, has wet her fairy feat 
With earlier dews than usual. 

[To Emelia. 
Emelia. I have not seen the Huntress Queen to-day. 
Baron. I fear you dressed without your looking- 
glass. 
For I descried her, lighting like a cloud 
Upon the grassy shoulder of a mountain, 
All robed in majesty. 

Emelia. Rather an unsubstantial robe! Was she 
About to take her bath ? 

Baron. A bath of sunshine. 

Emelia. And all her nymphs caparisoned the same ? 
Baron. I saw but one, and she was robed in sweet 
Simplicity. [Turning to Gretchen. 



ACT FIRST 249 

Emelia. Better to dress in plain Tyrolean home- 
spun ! [Turning away. 
Baron. Have you seen Joe to-day ? 
Greichen. Not seen, but heard him. He was off 
before 
The lark was up. 

Baron. I hoped to capture him for hunting. 
Emelia. You are too late. The chamois takes to 
cover 
Before the sun is high. 

Baron. Too late ! It seems to be my fate. I'll wait 
Awhile. Meanwhile, will Isabelle bring me 
A glass of milk? 

Gretchen. I'll send her here. 

[8he goes out and Isabelle brings in a pitcher of 
milk and a glass. 
Emelia. A mild decoction, this, for men ! 

[Satirically. 
Baron. You have no smiles to-day. 
Emelia. I'm not in humor quite for idle words. 
Baron. And may I ask what troubles you ? 
Emelia. Yes, you may ask, but answers are not 
cherries 
A man can pick whene'er he will. 

Baron. One question I have often asked. 
Emelia. One answer I have always given. 
Baron. But why ? 
Emelia. Because it suits my will. 
Baron. But why ? Please tell me that. 

[Emelia, who has been indifferent, meditates. 



250 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Emelia. You wish to know the truth, the very 
truth ? 

Baron. I do, indeed. 

Emelia. And can you bear the truth ? 

Baron. I can. 

Emelia. Then you shall know! You have a right 
to know ! 
I have no smiles for tinselled popinjays 
Who flit about the Austrian Court as moths 
About a candle, basking in its rays, 
Its glimmerings, as if these were the sun. 
This world has work to do. Our lives are wasted 
When spent in fripperies and dress-parades. 

Baron. But I would work if I knew how and where. 

Emelia. But you were born to hold command; 
endowed 
With talents; yet you hunt and fish and browse 
Through life like yonder flocks and herds. 

Baron. What would you have me do ? 

Emelia. Do something, anything which man should 
do 
Made in the image of his Maker ! Love 
Your fellow-men ! Strike off their shackles ! 

Baron. But I am Austrian, not Tyrolean. 

Emelia. But I'm Tyrolean ! 

Baron. My sister is betrothed to Louis, Prince 
Of Bavaria. 

Emelia. Need that put jewels in your ears ? 

Baron. My sister is the wife of Prince Eugene, 
Napoleon's foster-son. 



ACT FIRST 251 

Emelia. Both are our enemies. And you ? 

Baron. A neutral. 

Emelia. Hermaphrodite ! Who is not with us is 
Against us. In times of awful stress, 
When stricken souls sweat drops of agony, 
Irresolution is an enemy. 

Baron. But I have tried the Fabian way to 
chain 
These tigers who would lick the Tyrol's blood. 

Emelia. Then cross the Rubicon ! These minute- 
men 
And peasants nothing know of war. They'll wing 
An eagle at good distance ; in the open 
They're a mob. But you have been a soldier, 
And trained in Austrian camps. Our passes are 
Thermopylses where a hundred could outface 
A world in arms. But on the plains this God 
Of War can beat us. 

Baron. But will the Tyrol rise ? 

Emelia. These snows upon these mountains, will 
they melt 
When April suns shall beat upon their' heads ? 
Sirocco's blasts sweep up from Lombardy ? 
Then every brook, released from Winter's chains. 
Will whisper, every torrent roar its song 
Of Freedom. So will every vale and hamlet, 
Each glen and pass, when Andreas Hofer lights 
The signal-fires, echo Freedom's song. 

Baron. Can this be true? 

Emelia. I cannot say when will the tocsin sound, 



252 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

But I'm no dreamer, and these words are true. 

[They walk off the stage in earnest conversation. 
Joseph enters in haste, with a paper in his 
hand. 

Joseph. A man, all out of breath with running, 
brought me this paper, as I was on my way to Sterzing. 
He said that Andreas Hofer gave it him, and bade him 
give it me at once. What ! No one here ? I cannot 
read. The devil take those days when I played truant. 
But Isabelle can read. 

l^Calls, " Isabelle, Isabelle," and Isabelle comes 

in from her work, with her sleeves rolled up. 

Can you read French ? [Blnsteringli/. 

Isabelle. Oh, no ! I never studied French. 

Joseph. (Looking at the paper.) But can you read 
Italian ? 

Isabelle. No. 

Joseph. But you have been to school ? 

Isabelle. Oh, yes, indeed ! Three winters. 

Joseph. And cannot read ? 

Isabelle. Yes, yes, I can. 

Joseph. You can ! I don't believe you. Now I'll 
just try you and see if you can read. 

[Shows her the paper. 

Isabelle. But this is not Italian. 

Joseph. Ha, ha ! So ! So ! Who said it was '^ I 
thought that you could read ! 

Isabelle. I can. 

Joseph. Why don't you, then ? You're fooling me. 
Give me the paper. (TaJi-es it.) I'll read it for myself. 



ACT FIRST 253 

These children nowadays are frightful ignorant. 

[Pretends to read. 

Lsahelle. That's only writing. 

Joseph. Oh, ho ! Only writing ! Not French, Ital- 
ian ! [ Confused. 

Isabelle. That's Tyrolese ! 

Joseph. (Regaining his composure.) Of course 
it's Tyrolese ! Why, don't you think I know my native 
tongue ? Now let me see if you can read your native 
tongue, and mind you read it carefully, and dot your 
i's and cross your t's. Make no mistakes. 

[Handing her the paper. 

Isabelle. It's uyjside down. 

Joseph. (Tali-en ahach.) Oh, ho! So! So! 

Isabelle. But I can turn it round. 

Joseph. So ! So ! Why, of course you can. 

[Surprised. 

Isabelle. (Reading slowly and pointing at each 
word. ) " The — time — has — come. — Rouse — " 

Joseph. (Eagerly.) What? What word is that? 
Make no mistake ! 

Isabelle. " The — time — has — come. — Rouse — 
the Passayerthal — " f Joe nods. She hesitates. 

Joe. (Impatiently.) Spell it. 

Isabelle. (Spelling it.) " And PusterthaL" 

Joe. Yes, Pusterthal. That's right. You read 
much better than I thought you could. You must have 
been to school two winters. 

Isabelle. Three winters, Mr. Speckbacher. 

Joseph. Three winters ! So long ? I quite believe 



254 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

you. Now, iire away! Your eye upon each word, and 
spell it when you are not sure. 

Isabellc. " Light — iires — on — Berg Isel." 

Joseph. Yes, yes! 1 will. Light — fires — ou — 
Berg Isel. When i When ( Read quick ! 

Isabellc. {In a liUlc huff.) I read as fast as ever 
I can and nuike no mistakes. 1 1 you can read it faster, 
do it yourself. [Offcriiui him I he paper. 

Joe. Come, come, Miss Puss, don't be so cross. I 
only want to see how fast your little tongiu> can run. 

Isahclle. Vm not a jumping-jack. I cannot run 
and skip as if I were a schoolmaster. 

Joe. Well, well, now let us see if you can rend the 
rest. 

Isahellc. (Eeadinij.) "Light — fires — on Berg 
Isel — and — on — the — Brenner — to-morrow — 
night — at — sunset." That's all. 

Joe. My God ! Do you read true ? 

Isahelh. Indeed T do. Read it yourself. 

Joe. (Tal'inf] (lie paper.) You rend it very well, 
as well as I could read myself. Go send your mistress 
here. Now run away. 

fIsABELLE goes after Gretchen. 

Joe. (Musing.) To-morrow! To-morrow night at 
sunset! Thaidc God the fight begins! " Light fires on 
Berg Isel and on the Bremier. Rouse the Passayerthal 
and Pusterthnl." Four mountains to be climbed ! 
They are twenty miles apart. 

[^TJie sound of galloping horses is heard. Enter 
two Ouardsmen of the Bavarian police. 



ACT FIRST 255 

First Guardsman. Where does Andreas Hofer live ? 

Joe. This is his inn. 

First Guardsman. Is he at home ? 

Joe. 'Tis not nij liome. I do not know. 

First Guardsman. When will he be at home ? 

Joe. I'm not his keeper. Ask of those that know. 
[Gretchen comes in, is surprised to see the 
Guardsmen. Joe tips her the wink. 

Joe. Here comes his daughter; she may know. 

First Guardsman. Tliis inn is Andreas Hofer's? 

Gretchen. It is. 

First Guardsman. Is he at home? 

Gretrhen. No, not to-day. 

First Guardsman. Wliere has he jjone? 

Gretchen. He's in the mountains, hunting. 

First Guardsman. (Winks at Second Guardsman. 
Aside.) These rebels all are in the mountains hunting. 

Second Guardsman. He will be at homo to-night? 
[.TosEPir makes a cautionary motion to Gretotien. 

Gretchen. Unless the deer beguile his steps too far 
or other cause delay him. 

First Guardsman. (Satirically.) How very defi- 
nite! Come, let us have some beer. Have you Bava- 
rian beer? 

Gretchen. We have Tyrolean beer. 

First Guardsman. Shall we try that ? 

Second Guardsman. N'o, no. It gives me water- 
brash. 

Gretchen. They have Bavarian beer at the Hotel 
Boule d'Or sometimes, across the mountains. 



256 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

First Guardsman. Too far away ! 

Gr'etchen. Will you not try our native wine ? We 
call it " Maedchen-Mileh." The Tyrolese adore it. 

First Guardsman. The name is quite alluring. 
[As Gretchen goes to fetch it Joe makes motions 
to her to put into it some sleeping decoction. 

First Guardsman. Know you one Joe ? He's often 
hereabout. Some people call him " Hunter Joe." 

[Joe startled, hut soon composed. 

Joe. I know some hunters, and I've heard the name 
of Joe. 

First Guardsman. Most people have. 

[Amused at Joe's apparent simplicity. 

Joe. (Feeling his way.) A tall, ungainly man? 

First Guardsman. Yes. That is his description. 

Joe. He has a gun. 

First Guardsman. Most hunters have. 

Joe. He hunts among the mountains ? 

First Guardsman. (Amused.) Chiefly in cities! 
There game is plentiful. 

Joe. A worthless (Guardsman nods), shiftless, 
(Guardsman nods), brainless, good-for-nothing oaf. 

First Guardsman. Yes, yes, so people say. 

Joe. His father owns the salt mines down at Hall ? 

First Guardsman. Yes, that's the man. A famous 
shot. The best in all the Tyrol. 

Second Guardsman. At all the schiitzenfests this 
guzzling Joe is loaded down with prizes. 

Joe. I think I've heard of him somewhere. 

[Here Gretchen comes in with the wine and sets 



ACT FIRST 257 

tJie two glasses on the table, smiling to Joe, 
but soon withdraws to hide her anxiety for 
his welfare. 

First Guardsman. That wine is fit for the gods to 
drink. (Joe pretends he would like some.) I'm sorry 
for you, Sorrel-Top. 'Tis not for you ! 

First Guardsman. We've scoured the country round 
from here to Innsbruck in search for Joe. 

Joe. That vagabond ? 

First Guardsman. Yes, Joe, the vagabond. 

Second Guardsman. He's wanted by the Governor 
at Innsbruck. 

Joe. For what ? 

Second Guardsman. For treason against Bavaria. 

Joe. This brainless, shiftless, guzzling vagabond ? 

Second Guardsman. Yes — he. 

First Guardsman. A price is offered for his head. 

Joe. A price? (Coolly.) How much? 

First Guardsman. A thousand marks. 

Joe. But is he worth so much ? 

First Guardsman. That's not for us to say. 'Tis 
a big round sum ! 

• Joe. (Meditating.) Well, that's an object. And 
now I think of it, I saw a fellow yesterday at Inns- 
bruck might fit your coat. The people called him Joe. 
He won the prize at Botzen a day or two before. 

Second Guardsman. And so did " Hunter Joe," I 
heard. 

Joe. A cross-grained man. 

First Guardsman. So we hear. 



258 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Joe. An ignorant cub. 

Second Guardsman, He cannot read or write. 

Joe. {A little ashamed, and looking sheepisJily at 
Gretchen.) I did not see him read. But I should 
think this man could read. 

First Guardsman. He hated school, this Joe. And 
when the other boys were at their books, this Joe was 
in the woods, and hunting. 

Joe. A very dunce. 

First Guardsman. A brother of old Baalam's ass. 

Joe. {Half -angry.) Yes, so 'twould seem. 

First Guardsman. Come, help us find this fellow, 
and we will give you part of our reward. 

Joe. How much ? 

First Guardsman. A hundred marks. 

Joe. But how much down ? 

First Guardsman. Why, fifty. 

Joe. In hand ? 

First Guardsman. (To Second Guardsman.) How 
many marks have you ? 

Second Guardsman. Twenty. 

First Guardsman. (Counting.) Yes, in hand. 

Joe. Then let me see the silver. 

First Guardsman. (Shoiving it.) See how it shines. 

Joe. Well, count it out! 

[First Guardsman counts out fifty marks and 
hands it to Joe, ivho coolly buttons it up in 
his pocket. 

First Guardsman. He is a monstrous shot, this fel- 
low. A hunter told me this but yesterday. He saw 



ACT FIRST 259 

the trick. Joe took his hunting-knife — a knife like 
yours — and drove the blade into a tree, back to, then 
took his gun and ran dog-trot and loaded as he ran, 
then whirled and fired and split the ball upon the blade. 
Second Gvardsman. lie shot an apple in a hunter's 
hand ! 

Joe. He did ? God pity then Bavarians on whom 
he draws a bead ! 

Second Guardsman. We'd rather meet the devil 
than meet this mountain goat. 

Joe. (Aside.) A mountain goat is better than 
" old Baalam's ass." 

[These men, who have heen growing sleepy from 
the drugged wine they have drunk, now fall 
asleep. Emelia and the Baron return, and 
Joe shows Emelia the paper and they drau) 
to the side of the stage. 
Emelia. My eyes drink vip these words! 'Tis war 
at last ! 

[She shows the paper to the Baron. All confer 
in low tones. 
Emelia. It will take four to do this work. Joe, you 
must take Berg Isel, and Isabelle the Schneeberg. 
Gretchen and I will go to Meran and rouse the minute- 
men. 

Joe. But who will warn tho Pusterthal ? 

[All look toward the Baron. He makes no re- 
sponse. 
Emelia. (To the Baron). A bonfire must be built 
upon the Shreckberg before the sun goes down. 



260 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Baron. It is too far! Cannot be done! 
Emelia. But will jou try ? Five thousand men are 
waiting to see that beacon-light ! 

[Baron shakes his head in hesitation, while all 
look at him anxiously. 
Emelia. {Aside to the Baron.) You sav you love 
me, say you wear your heart 
Upon your face, your eyes are books wherein 
I ought to read your tragedy of love. 
You mope and heave deep sighs and say my heart 
Is ice or it would melt beneath this heat. 
Now will you light this fire for me ? 

Baron. Yes. I will do what man can do. 

[They all go off in different directions. As Joe 
goes out he tn-r^is scornfully at the sleeping 
Guardsmen. 
Joe. (Between his teeth.) If ever I draw bead on 
you, 'twill not be 
Baalam's ass that kicks you. 



Scene III 

Next day. Same scene.. Ahoid sunset. As the curtain 
rises it discloses a grort-p of women at luork preparing 
articles for the soldiers, Emelia and Gretciien 
among them, dressed as hospital nurses, giving direc- 
tions. Some are picking lint, some tearing bandages, 
some sewing, blankets, shirts, and packing them in 
boxes. A group on the side are moulding bullets. 



ACT FIRST 261 

Emelia. Gretchen and I have been to Meran. All 
The people, men and women, e'en the children, 
Are at white-heat with patriotic ardor. 
Five thousand men, with guns, pitchforks and scythes 
And half a score of cannon, minutemen, 
Will answer Hofer's call to arms. They march 
To-night for Sterzing. 

A Woman. Let God be praised ! 

Another Woman. They must have blankets, 
food . . . 

Another. Powder and bullets . . . 

Another. And lint and bandages to dress their 
wounds . . . 

Another. Mothers and sisters to nurse them . . . 

Another. And priests to bury them. 

Another. Women .to dig their graves and cover them 
with hemlock boughs so no Bavarian can tell the num- 
ber of our dead. 

\_A dozen children^ boys and, girls, com-e shipping 
up the stage from the corner of the church. 
Some women try to stop them. 

Anna. Here come the children! School is out! 

Gretchen. Oh, let them have their dance ! 

Anna. Yes, yes, poor dears ! 
Be merry while you can ! Your feet will soon 
Be leaden. 

First Woman. Eyes like rivulets — 

'Emelia. Their voices 
Attuned to war's great diapason ! 

[The children dance an informal Tyrolean dance 



262 THE TYRQLESE PATRIOTS 

about the stage, their feet keeping time to the 
music of this song: 

Sparkling and bright, 

With joy bedight, 
The langhing brook sings on its way 
And bears upon its silver spray 
The words the mountain echoes say, 

Joyous and free, 

Babbling with glee. 

Love thou, O sea, 

Our life so free ! 
The music of our sighing pines, 
The gems that sparkle in our mines, 
Our nectars and our crystal wines 

Borne in our arms 

Are blest with charms. 

On spirit wing 

Upward we spring, 
Ethereal shapes of air and cloud 
Returning from old ocean's shroud, 
We Naiad Queens, ghostly and proud, 

The Mist and Foam, 

Returning home! 

\^As the sun is setting the Angelus tolls twelve 
strohes from the church tower. The dance 



ACT FIRST 263 

stops. The children and women kneel and 
cross themselves, bowing their heads arid re- 
peating their Pater Nosters. Then they rise 
and reverently march in procession through 
the church doors. When they have entered 
they are heard singing the vesper hymn. 
After this is finished. Col. Dittfurt and 
two soldiers enter. They are dressed in Ba- 
varian uniforms. 

Dittfurt. All rebels ! All this land is honeycombed 
With treason ! Yes, the very priests here preach 
Sedition. All the abbeys have been closed, 
The bishops exiled, friars ostracized, 
And yet Rebellion poisons the very air ! 
No priest should say the mass without the King's 
Consent, or take the oath of true allegiance. 
'Tis this that staggers them ! They blink and bite 
Their tongues and hem and haw and bolt this oath. 
No priest should wear his surplice, pardon sins, 
Or raise the chalice to his traitorous lips ; 
And yet they lead their flocks to sheltered cotes 
And slyly feed them with the bread of life. 
And when I chase them from one den, they find 
Some other covert in a twinkle. 

Soldier. Must we hunt them with fire and sword ? 

Dittfurt. Such are my orders! Naught but fire 
and sword 
Will kill these weeds of treason and sedition. 

Soldier. Here's Hofer's Inn. There's no one here. 



264 THE TYRQLESE PATRIOTS 

Dittfurt. Go through the house. Smoke out the 
rats ! 

[Soldier goes into the house and conies out. 
Soldier. 'Tis silent as a sepulchre. 
Dittfurt. But sepulchres have oped their jaws be- 
fore 
And vomited the fumes of Hell. 

[They hear the voice of the priest saying the mass. 
One of the soldiers opens the door and looks 
in. 
Second Soldier. The mass is being celebrated. 
Dittfurt. The mass ? And here ? Great Hell ! An 
unfrocked priest ! 

[He looks in at the church door. 
'Tis Friar Joachim. Damn'dest of traitors. Clear the 
church ! 
Soldier. With bayonets ? 

Dittfurt. Yes, bayonets ! No, wait ! Where are the 
dogs ? 
Go bring the wolf-hounds here. 

[Soldier goes for the dogs. 
Soldier. There are no men. They're women, chil- 
dren, kneeling. 
Dittfurt. Before an unfrocked priest. 'Tis rank 
rebellion 
Against the law. Bring on the dogs. 
Soldier. They have not fed to-day. 
Other Soldier. (Bringing them in leashed.) I 
scarce can hold them. 
See how their teeth are gleaming with hunger. 



ACT FIRST 265 

Dittfurt. They soon will have enough. Throw wide 
the doors ! 

[^Soldier unleashes the dogs, who hound through 
the door. The harking of dogs and screaming 
of women and children is heard. Soon women 
and. children rush out on to the stage, pell- 
mell, and terror-stricken. Some kneel and 
raise their hands to Heaven for protection. 
I'll teach you rebel curs the majesty of law. 

[Emelia comes out with a child in her arms, 
frightened and bleeding. She tries to com- 
fort the child. 
Never you mind the brat ! It serves her right ! 

Emelia. The man who strikes a woman is a coward. 

[Dittfurt draws his sword. 
Dittfurt. The man who called me that would die. 
Emelia. Who sets such hounds of Hell on women, 
helpless, 
Defenceless children, he is a devil ! 

Dittfurt. No more ! No more ! Beware ! 
Emelia. Your heart's a very fiend's ! No threat of 
yours 
Can make me blench. Strike, strike me if you dare ! 
These women here will tear yon limb from limb. 
The sword of God or man ere long shall fall 
Blood-red and dripping on your head ! Remember ! 
Dittfurt. I never feared the face of man or God. 
When Fate decrees my death shall come, then only. 
The law ranks petticoats with trousers. Nail, 
Nail up the doors! \To the soldiers. 



266 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

\_As the soldiers are about to execute this order. 
Father Joachim comes out of the church, 
and raises his hands to command peace. 
Father Joachim. Peace ! Peace, my children ! We 
must kiss the hand 
That chastens us, for so our Master taught. 
Forgive your enemies ! 'Tis this that makes 
The Christian people nobler than prophet 
Or philosopher e'er taught. 

[^He comes down among them. All bow their 
heads to receive his blessing, while the curtain 
falls. 



ACT SECOND 267 

ACT II 

Scene I 

The Rendezvous at Sterzing. Night. A mountain 
gorge, crossed hy a stone bridge. Rose-colored Dolo- 
mites in the distance. Enter Andreas Hofer, 
Peter Gruber and Joseph de Medici. Hofer and 
Gruber are dressed as Tyrolese hunters. De Me- 
dici as a scholar. The former are about thirty-five 
years old, the latter about sixty. Hofer has a long 
red heard, De Medici, a long gray one. 

Hofer. What lightning changes these three days 
have brought ! 
We then were thirty. !N^ow we're thirty thousand. 

Gruber. Our hopes were but a mirror of the Tyrol ; 
The love of country is the lodestar draws us all. 

Medici. The setting sun beholds our signal-fires 
Leap on to-night from alp to alp. Oh, what 
A flame of fierce delight these fires will kindle 
Within the Tyrol's heart ! 

Hofer. Our friends will soon be here. Shall we 
not build 
A fire to warm and welcome them ? 
Gruber. Leave that to me. 

[^He gathers brush and kindles a bonfire on the 
stage, round which they all gather as they 
come in. 



268 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Hofer. Hark ! Hark ! What noise is that ? 

[Peering into the darkness. 
Medici. Some branches crackling! Who goes 

there ? 
A Voice. Friends. 
Medici. The countersign ? 
A Voice. " The time has come." 
Medici. Oh, Speckbacher ! And Jacob Straub ! 
Well named our minutemen ! [Recognizing tliem. 

[Speckbacher and Stuaub enter. The others 
greet them cordially. 
Speckbacher. And Father Joachim trails behind. 
[Father Joachim comes in. They gather round 
the fire. 
Hofer. You came through Meran ? Many stirring? 
Joe. The village was alive ! The streets were full, 
As if a hive of bees had swarmed. 
Hofer. All friendly to the cause ? 
Straub. All boiling with rebellion ! 
Hofer. Our first fight may be here. 
Joe. No better place! Here let us stand our 
ground ! 
Here let the war begin ! 

Hofer. 'Tis easily defended. 
Medici. 'Tis a Thermopylae! 

Hofer. Three carts of hay stand in the pass. These 
we 
Can use for barricades. And we can pile 
Up stones behind them. 

[Moo7i rising. 



ACT SECOND 269 

Medici. See where the moon now lays her silver 
fingers 
Across the Adige and the Dolomites, 
Those rosy-mantled, cowled and giant monks 
Who guard the passes up from Italy. 
Look ! Look ! There ! There ! I think I see three 

forms 
Stealing like thieves along behind the shadows. 

[All gaze out into the darkness. 
Joe. I see them ! 
Strauh. So do I ! 

Hofer. Yes, I can now. 

Joe. Hello ! 

[A faint response is heard. 
Are you Bavarian, French, or Italians ? 

A Voice. Thank God, we're neither; we're Tyro- 

lese! 
Hofer. The countersign ? 
A Voice. " The time has come." 
Joe. 'Tis Sieberer and Winterstall ! 
Gruher. And Anton Oppacher! 

[Sieberer, Winterstall, and Oppacher enter, 
and while the others are greeting them, Hein- 
RiCH Etsctimatst and, Peter Wiesland of 
Fassig, come through the forest from the other 
side of the stage, siLddenly, followed hy others. 
Etschman. We stole upon you unawares, like wolves 
On unsuspecting sheep! 

Hofer. The rebels were outrebelled. 

]_A distant clock strikes nine. All listen. 



270 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Medici. 'Tis nine o'clock! The curfew tolls the 
hour 
For sleep. Let Tyranny now close her eyes 
And patriots awake to vigilance, 
For energy's the price of liberty. 

Hofer. Are all now here? Five Cantons stand 
around 
This fire we few have kindled. God be praised! 
All. Amen ! 

Hofer. Shall I begin the Diet? 
All. Such is our wish. 

Hofer. With prayer, as was the ancient custom? 
[All assent. They take off their hats and hoiv 
their heads; some kneel. 
Friar Joachim. O Thou great God, who rulest land 
and sea, 
And hold'st the Tyrol in Thy hollow hand, 
Extend Thy wings above us ! Be our buckler ! 
Oh, give this people strength, this council wisdom ; 
Confound the councils of our enemies ! 

Hofer. Shall T speak first? {All assent. 

Good friends, a people's fate 
May hang upon our counsels. Shoulder to shoulder 
We've stood together, a bulwark of defence 
In four short wars, l^apoleon. Joubert, ISTey 
Have smote these rocks and they have gushed forth 

blood. 
Torn from our mother's side, her heart, her joy, 
We have been thrown like carrion to wolves. 
Our Constitution, kissed by the reverent sons 



ACT SECOND 271 

Of half a thousand years, is now in rags. 

Our farms are graveyards ; churches, deserts ; we 

Cannot worship God, for Jews gloat o'er 

Our chalices. Want stares us in the face. 

The name of Tyrol, this has been wiped off 

The map of Europe. [Cries of " Shame! Shame! " 

Now 'tis three days since 
I left Vienna, when our Emperor 
Bade me to bring this message to his children, 
His faithful Tyrolese : " Rise ! Cast off 
The chains Xapoleon forged at Austerlitz ! 
He's now my prisoner on Lobau's isle ; 
We hold the key, with eighty thousand men. 
The lion has been caged within this jungle. 
Expel the invaders ! Trust to Austria ! 
She holds the whip-lash over him. He breaks 
His teeth 'gainst granite. Ground to the quick, 
His jaws are toothless. Then our dogs of war 
Will tear his heart out, drink his blood." 
This is the message that he sent to you. 
Will all the Cantons join this Patriot League ? 

A Voice. Let Nestor speak! 

Medici. The Adige grasps the hand Passayerthal 
Extends, and puts her shoulder to the wheel. 
Our woes are mountainous as hers. We, sons 
Of Italy, love liberty as you do. 

My toils have been with books. When you have slept 
Your dreamless sleep on beds of asphodel, 
The ghosts of bygone ages haunted mine. 
The deathless dead have been my boon-companions. 



272 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

I've walked with Dante through the fields Elysian 

And held sweet converse with the shade of Milton ; 

I've heard the Gracchi tell of that great chasm 

That threatened to engulf the might of Rome, 

And listened to great Greece's Cassandra sage, 

Who thundered 'gainst the sword of Macedon, 

And drunk deep draughts from that Thessalian spring; 

I've ate the hread the new republic feeds on, 

And knelt beside the tomb of Washington 

As Paul once sat before Gamaliel's feet ; 

I've sipped the loving-cup with Lafayette 

And Danton, Mirabeau and sweet Lamballe. 

This converse with the great, this life upon 

The mountain-tops of Time has filled my lungs 

With Freedom's holy atmosphere. No men 

Are good or great who breathe the air of slaves. 

[Applause. 

Hofer. The Pusterthal, will that rebel ? 

Peter Gruher. I keep an inn — I know the woes of 
peasants. 
The Pusterthal is broken-backed with taxes ; 
The farmer drags a lengthening chain ; he plows 
A furrow tracked with blood. Want grins at him ; 
Hunger barks at his heels ; his children cry 
Eor bread ; he gives them stones, and horsehair rags 
To shield them from grim Winter's tiger teeth. 
And when he lays his head upon his bed 
Of husks to die, not e'en his parish priest 
Can hear his prayer or cover his dead corse 
With Faith's or Charity's cold coverlet. 



ACT SECOND 273 

Bavaria takes from us our young, our old, 
And makes them slaves of War. Our homes are here: 
These homely stones our baby feet have kissed. 
We hoped that stumbling age might cosset them. 
Death has some charms for him who dies defending 
His hearthstone 'gainst the oppressor. We stand true. 

^Applause. 

Hofer. The valley of the lower Inn stands true ? 

Straub. Yes, every rock ! 'Tis like a stream of lava 
Ready to burst its bonds. We scarce can wait. 
The night before Vesuvius belched forth 
That frightful deluge of Hell's cerements, 
Pompeii's face was bathed in sun and smiles. 
Sweetly she slumbered like a new-born babe. 
So sleeps the valley of the lower Inn. 
These signal-fires will wake Vesuvius. 

Hofer. The upper Innthal ? Is that true ? What 
says Herr Sieberer ? 

Sieherer. No avalanche is surer, after rains 
Shall melt and frosts shall crack its old supports, 
To make the valley rock with desolation. 

Hofer. And will the Church stand true ? 

Friar JoacJiim. The cross, and not the sword, is 
her true weapon. 
The Holy See is regent of the world. 
The Pope is God's Vice-gerent upon earth, 
And Austria her first-born child, her best- 
Beloved, since France has spat upon her robe. 
Your chaplain I will be, St. Peter's priest, 
And wield at times, as Peter did, the sword, 



274 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

And see that none lie idle in the trench 
Who should be on the walls. 

[Several voices call, " The man of Rinn! The 
man of Rinn! " 
Joseph. I live, you know, by hunting. The cham- 
ois knows 
My step. The Brenner Pass has been my cradle, 
The avalanche has sung my lullaby. 
These mountains bow their heads to me in friendship. 
The winds that shake their grizzled beards 
Have been my breath ; the sky my canopy. 
But since the fumes of Tyranny have soiled 
This atmosphere, so crystalline with freedom. 
Hunger and unkempt fields and shrivelled faces 
Stare out at me where'er I go. Last week 
My bosom-friend and I, chasing a deer. 
Outran our welcome, crossed the Tyrol's border 
Into that lair where lurk Bavaria's tigers. 
I lay me down to sleep beneath the pines 
While he went on to find a cooling spring. 
A shot crashed through the air ! I woke to see 
The man I loved tied to a tree, stone-dead. 

\ Cries of " Shame ! Shame ! " 
They seized me, gagged me, bound me, pinned me down 
While they could cook their noontide meal. 
I begged the boon of doing this for them. 
Tired, the watchman slept. I buckled wings 
Upon my feet and fled. But not for aye ! 
These signal-fires that light the mountain-tops 
And waken all these glens and glades and dales 



ACT SECOND 275 

As springtide suns awake the sleeping fields, 

Shall guide to Innsbruck eighteen thousand men. 

They'll seize the castle, — once 'twas freedom's shrine. 

But now its charnel-house ! — restore it once again, 

AVhile Satan leads away his myrmidons 

To bleach their bones upon the Danube's banks. 

[Loud applause, by pounding their guns on the 
ground. 

[Dawn is breaking. 
Hofer. A rosy light now skirts the Dolomites ! 
Medici. The kiss of Day upon the breast of Night ! 
Gruber. (Who has been on watch, peering into the 
darkness.) That line of white — can it be tents? 
\All look eagerly southward. 
Several. Yes, those are tents ! 

Hofer. Macdonald's tents ! The French are on the 
march 
From Italy along the foot-hills towards 
Vienna. Good ! Necessity now pricks 
The heels of our great purpose. To-morrow's sun 
Will hear the footfalls of five thousand men 
Marshalled within this pass of Sterzing. 

Medici. The call to arms has sounded ! Signal- 
fires 
Will blaze all night ; the church-bells ring at dawn. 
To every village has been sent the billets 
Burnt' upon bark with fire : " The time has come," 
The children were our Mercuries. 

Joseph. The Inn and Adige rise upon the Brenner. 
Thence little planks, with blood-red flags equipped. 



276 THE TYROLESE PATRIOT S 

Will bear to all our friends the bloody summons. 

Medici. And shavings, soaked in blood, will help 
these nymphs 
To tell our bloody purpose. 

Hofer. Now let us lift our hands and swear that, 
come 
What may, the Tyrol shall be free. 

lAll take off their hats and raise their right hands 
and say in unison, " We swear! We swear! 
We swear! " 
Our ship is launched. God grant that she may find 
Safe port and anchorage ! We shall not fail, 
For God helps him who helps himself. We'll win ! 
And while we fight our wives will work and pray, 
Will reap our crops, will sew and knit and spin ; 
Will moisten the dry tongues of those who faint, 
Will bury those that sleep the patriot's sleep 
In beds of flowers, wreathe them too with boughs 
That no unfriendly eye may count our dead. 
Yes, we shall win ! I read it in the clouds ! 
One summer's morn, in those Tyrolean Alps, 
I climbed a mountain with the climbing sun. 
The rocks, the rills, the trees, the deer, the birds 
Were waking from their slumbers, singing 
Matins of joy. I climbed far up a giant's shoulder 
Where two deep valleys join. My eyes were rapt 
In wonder at the awful scene. A storm 
Was rising. Soon the thunder roared, the forests 
Rocked and trembled. Tlien came a crash. I saw 
The earth, the rocks, the trees in motion down 



ACT SECOND 277 

The mountainside. Anon they reached the gorge, 

Made one mad leap into the dread abyss, 

And all was chaos. When I looked again 

A cloud streamed up and floated off. Then all 

Was solitude — a fading memory. 

This portent has a meaning. An avalanche, 

When Heaven's flash of liberty has fired 

The German heart, will surely come. 'Tis fate! 

The storm will rise where Baltic mourns fair Freedom's 

Sleep. Sweeping south and gathering strength each 

league, 
'Twill hurl these petty treaties, frail alliances, 
This paper realm that sits upon the sword, 
These squadrons, princes, dukedoms, kingdoms, all 
Into the seething current of the Rhine. 
The hand of God is mightier than that sword. 

[Murmur of applause. 
[After the enthusiasm has subsided, and they 
have shaJcen hands in congratulation. 

Medici. I move this Diet now adjourn to meet 
Again whene'er our chief shall call. 

[Voices:^' Agreed! Agreed!" 

Hofer. This Diet is adjourned. Let each perform 
The part assigned. God grant us full success ! 
ISTow let us meet the peasantry in arms, 
And let this be our Shibboleth, — 
" Our God, our Fatherland and Emperor." 



278 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 



Scene II 

Same scene. Faint streaks of dawn. Enter Gretchen 
and Emelia in haste and out of hreath. 

Gretchen. Well, here's the bridge ! 

Emelia. And here we are ! All that is left of us ! 

Gretchen. Poor frightened lambs, pretending to be 
goats ! 

Emelia. You ran like a gazelle. 

Gretchen. But you, I fear, more like some broken- 
winded wether ! 

Emelia. Is this the summit of the Brenner ? 

Gretchen. ISTot quite. 'Tis Sterzing. Here the pass 
is narrowest. 

Emelia. How drunk they were ! [Laughing. 

Gretchen. With sleep. [Laughing. 

Emelia. Blest be the poppy ! 

Gretchen. The food for leaden legs and pudding- 
heads. 

Emelia. A rare decoction ! I wish its strength were 
double. 

Gretchen. 'Tis mother's balm for pain. She makes 
it 
When our poppies are in flower. 

Emelia. How did you mix it ? 

Gretchen. I poured some in each bottle. 

Emelia. These men ! These men ! But show a man 
a bottle . . . 

Gretchen. Or pretty ankle . . . 



ACT SECOND 279 

Emelia. He'll follow it a mile. 

Gretchen. 'Twas lucky that you came ! I never 

should 
Have dared to face these forest-goblins all alone. 
Emelia. Which was the drunkest ? 
Gretchen. Sir Bottle Nose! He rattled on — the 

loon — 
Like some old mill. 

Emelia. But where were you ? 
Gretchen. Behind the corner of the inn. 
Emelia. What happened when they Avoke ? 
Gretchen. They both began to bellow out with rage 

that 
Joe had cheated them and fled ! " Where is 
That brother of old Baalam's ass ? " 
Emelia. " That mountain goat." 

[Both in a gale of laughter. 
Gretchen. Yes, " brainless — worthless . . ." 
Emelia. " Good-for-nothing oaf." 

Gretchen. That " hunter Joe "... 
Emelia. That " guzzling Joe." 

Gretchen. That " vagabond," that " ignorant cub." 
Emelia. But then he is a " famous shot." 
Gretchen. " And won the prize at Botzen." 

Emelia. {Feigning fear.) "I'd rather meet the 

devil." 
Gretchen. If ever Joe dra-ws bead on them . » . 
Emelia. " 'Twill not be Baalam's ass that kicks 

them." 
Gretchen. The mutton-heads ! 



280 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Emelia. But how about the bridge? 

Gretchen. 'Twas he with curly locks — Sir Bottle 

Nose. 
Emelia. What did he say ? 

Gretchen. Dittfurt, he said, will swear like Mars, 
and asked the other if he had the fuse. The white- 
faced lamb said, yes. " But can we find the keg ? " 
" As sure as thirsty mouths find beer," said Lamb. 
" The bridge is ten miles off," said Bottle Nose. 
Emelia. And Lamb ? 
Gretchen. Said " Baa ! There's time enough ere 

morning." 
Emelia. What else ? 

Gretchen. He baaed once more and then I ran away. 
Emelia. The powder keg! The powder keg! 

\_Looking about. 
It must be near the bridge. 

[They begin to look for it, going off the stage even 
and returning. 

[Noise of voices is heard. 
Emelia. Hark ! I hear some voices. \_Liste7iing. 
Gretchen. 'Tis Lamb and Bottle ISTose. 

[They run off the stage, as the two Guardsmen 
appear, hot and tired. 
Second Guardsman. We're here before the rebels. 
First Guardsman. Damn the rebels! I'm tired as 

a dog. 
Second Guardsman. Dittfurt thought they would be 

here by dawn. 
First Guardsman. Damn Dittfurt! Damn the dawn! 



ACT SECOND 281 

Second Guardsman. We have no time to lose. 
First Guardsman. Nor beer to drink. My throat 

is hot as ashes. 
Second Guardsman. And so's your nose. {Laugh- 
ing at him.) The keg! The keg! 
First Guardsman. Yes ! Yes ! The keg ! 

[First Guardsman goes looking about in an aim- 
less way and goes off the stage right. Second 
Guardsman goes off the stage left. Mean- 
while Emelia shows herself. She is watching 
them. 
I cannot find the thing! 

Second Guardsman. Some chamois's swallowed it! 
[They cross over and disappear again. 
I have it! I have it! Here it is! [Shoiding. 

[^RoUs the keg on the stage gingerly witli his foot. 
They then take it up and put it under a cor- 
ner of the hridgp, and Second Guardsman 
prepares the fuse and begins to light it. 
First Guardsman. Xow give us time enough ! Eive 
minutes sure ! 

[They hurry aivay and disappear. Emelta and 
Gretchen run on the stage, stamp out the 
fuse and pick it up and run away. The 
Guardsmen run hack. 
Those cussed girls! Those girls we saw last night! 
Second Guardsman. They heard you blab. 
First Guardsman. I hate a petticoat ! 
Second Guardsman. Those petticoats are better than 
our trousers. 



282 THE TYR OLESE PATRIOTS 

First Guardsman. A petticoat is senseless, brainless ! 
Second Guardsman. Had brains enough for us this 
time. 

[The distant music of the Marseillaise is heard. 
Here come the rebels. 

First Guardsman. We must be quick. 

[They fumhle about in their coats and finally find 
and cut off another piece of fuse. The music 
is gradually drawing Clearer. While they are 
absorbed in their work, Joe, who has been 
scouting in advance, bounds upon the stage 
and 7'ushes up and seizes one of their guns, 
which had been laid down, and Emelia seizes 
the other. Joe collars the First Guardsman 
and Gretciien seizes hold of the Second 
Guardsman as he starts to run away. 
Joe. Hold ! Halt ! You scarlet-faced galoot ! 
[He backs him against the bridge, and begins to 
tie his hands behind him. 
Have you the scarlet-fever, or the measles ? 

[The Guardsman coughs a little to hide his chagrin. 
Emelia. The whooping-cough, perhaps ! 

[Joe noiu goes to Gretchen's aid. 
Joe. We'll make you daughter of the regiment. 
Emelia. And what shall I be, Joe ? 
Joe. A captain — no — a baroness. [Smiling. 

Emelia. Not to-day ! 

[He stands the two soldiers side by side, and puts 
Emelia and Gretchen guard over them, 
giving Gretchen a stick for a gun. The 



ACT SECOND 283 

music has been growing louder, and now 
HoFER appears at the head of the patriot 
army, a motley army of hunters and farmers, 
with guns, one with a flail, one with a pitch- 
fork, and one with a scythe. Their earnest- 
ness saves them from appearing ridiculous. 
Joe. These two recruits have saved the bridge. 
Hofer. Let God be praised ! I feared it might be 
gone. 
These bridges are the Tyrol's arteries, 
And when they go its great heart beats in vain, 
And she becomes a starving, shrivelled wraith. 
Ah ! War revenges jSTatnre ; turns the milk 
Of kindness into gall and burns a blister 
Upon the face of Justice. Here at Sterzing 
Let us now rest and kiss the hand of God. 
This is the rendezvous of all five Cantons 
At dawn to-day. From here we take our march 
To Innsbruck. There Dittfurt's in command. 
He eats men's flesh and licks up women's blood 
And roasts our children for his noonday meal. 
He holds the town. We'll camp upon Berg Isel 
To-night, To-morrow's climbing sun shall see 
Us hovering o'er it as War's Furies hover 
O'er their prey, swooping down when darkness swoops. 
God help us ; 'suage the flow of blood ; God make 
Tlie Inn our friend ; temper its rage, tell it 
To lend a gentle hand to its old friends. 

[While they are resting a distant convent hell 
begins to ring. 



284 'I'Hl': TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Friar Joaehini. 'l\\v Aiiiiclus now calls (o inonilng 
prayer. 
To-morrow's siiii may set in criiiisuii clouda 
And many souls stand naked at (lie -I udi!:ment-Kseat. 

[..4// hnerl und arc sdi/iin/ their [irai/vrs when the 
curtain fall,-;. 



ACrr THIRD 285 



ACT III 

Scene I 

A public H(juare in the city of InnshrucJc. At the bach 
of Ike dage the entrance to the Viceroy's jialace. 
Messengers passing in and out. A soldier, in jager 
costume, on guard. Two Tyrolesc peasants, strangers 
in the city, enter. 

First Peasant. Is IIiIh tlie Viceroy's palace? 
Guard. Soiric j)Ooplo call him so, and some the 

Peasant i\ in I!;. 
First Peasant. Which does he like the hetter? 
Guard. Neither. Tie calls himself the " Sand- 

wirt." 
First Peasant. Innkeeper of Sand ! 
Guard. He kept the inn there. 
First Peasant. His fiither did before him. 
Second Peasant. Was not this IMaxiinilian's palace? 
Guard. Yes, years ajLi^o. That's Maximilian's tomb. 

[Right. 
Second Peasant. Where those great statues are? 

Iferor's of bygone 
Aj^cH L'-iiarding- his totrd)? 

First Peasant. l)(j(!S IFofer like this knightly state? 
Guard. Not he ! He has no guard, goes unattended. 



280 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

First Peasant. True peasant-king! How long has 
lie been King ? 

Guard. Six months. 

Second Feasant. Good fortune has not spoiled him ? 

Guard. Nor never will. 

First Peasant. You helped him capture Innsbruck ? 

Guard. Yes, I was here. 

First Peasant. A noble army. 

Guard. Yes, eighteen thousand men . . . 

Second Peasant. And women ! 

First Peasant. Who sprang up in a night . . . 

Second Peasant. Like Jonah's gourd. 

First Peasant. The very blades of grass grew into 
men. 

Second Peasant. A glorious day . . . 

Guard. But bloody fight ! 

First Peasant. I heard the French commander, 
Bisson, 
Shed tears when he surrendered up his sword, 
And said he never more should dare tc show 
Ilis head in France. But Hofer was like Tell of old 
And bade him keep the sword he used so well. 
It was the boy grown man. When we were boys 
I often trudged across the Brenner with him. 
Taking horses to that land of sun. Then he would 
Share his crust with me or with his horse. 

Guard. You know him then ? 

First Peasant. 'Twas years ago; now he's forgot- 
ten me. 
A generous man as ever loved his horse. 



ACT THIRD 287 

IHere Hofee and Joseph come out, talking to- 
gether. The peasants stand hack hut Hofer 
espies them and stops to shake hands. 
Hofer. Heinrich ! Can this be you ? 

[First Peasant hows deferentially. 
You've grown a beard since we were horsemen. 
Ah, those were happy days ! No cares of state ! 
The sceptred chief sleeps not on beds of roses 
With cherubs fanning him with perfumed wings, 
Nor are his nights those rapturous siestas 
Which maidens fondly dream in fairy talcs. 
The sword of state, — that ghost that never sleeps ! — 
This stands beside his bed the livelong night, 
And never knows its scabbard all day long; 
Plays hide-and-seek, and riots in fierce fray. 
These cares that clutch our heart-strings, waken us 
To hear the echo of some battle's roar, 
Or see some sword is rampant we thought sheathed. 

[A Shepherd enters, with a sheepskin over his 
shoulders for a covering, accompanied hy one 
of Speckbaciier's scouts in jager costume. 
They go up to Speckbacher. 
Scout. This shepherd's from Verona and has news. 
Joseph. Bad news or good ? What is it ? 
Shepherd. (In a hroad country accent.) Two days 
ago I left Verona. There had I gone with sheep to sell. 
Joseph. You'd smuggled across the border. 
Shepherd. Our customs laws are not Bavarian now 
that we are free. I did, your Excellency. We cannot 
starve. We have a right to live, and cannot live on 



288 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

air or by plundering Bavarian refugees. As I was 
saying to your Honors, two days ago at dawn I started 
back, and was at Jannack's. You know the place, 'tis 
in the Kaiserplatz. He sells Tyrolean beer, not that 
Italian wash. 

Joe. Go on ! Don't mind the beer ! 

Shepherd. Not mind the beer? Why not? 'Tis 
pale as amber, pure, no rosin in it. 

Joe. Well, well, your news ! 

Shepherd. Unless I stopped to get my beer I should 
have had no news. As I was saying to your Honors, 
just as I was settling the reckoning and buttoning down 
my wallet (it had the money for the sheep I sold), a 
French cuirassier, I think they called him, came, hot 
as Tophet, on a panting horse all white with lather. 
His boots were red with mud. No, brown . . . 

Joe. Never mind the mud. 

[^Impatiently. 

Shepherd. But how could I help seeing it when 
his boots were covered all over with it ? 

Hofer. {To Joe.) Let him tell his story as he 
will. 

Shepherd. I tell it right. I tell no lies. I heard 
him say the words myself. 

Hofer. What were his words ? 

Shepherd. He said Napoleon had whipped the 
Austrians at Pagram, near Vienna. 

Hofer. Said what ? 

Shepherd. He said, as I was telling you, Napoleon 
had met the Archduke John and routed him at Pagram, 



ACT THIRD 289 

near Vienna. He fired this off in some French jargon, 
which Jannack told to me. 

[HoFER arid Joe are incredidoiis. 
Joe. A pretty fable ! My scouts have no such news. 
Hofer. Where heard this man this news ? 
Shepherd. From some Venetian merchants come 
from Vienna. 

Joe. Venetian varnish to sell their wares ! Take 
him away ! 

[To the Scout. 
Hofer. Order more powder from Corinthea ! 'Tis 
prudence. 

[Straub brings in a prisoner, a peasant, and hands 
a package to Joseph. He takes and opens 
it and hands it to Hofer. 
A proclamation from Eugene, Viceroy 
Of Northern Italy. It is addressed 
To the Tyrolese and couched in language soft. 
Foreshadowing redress of grievances, 
Kind sympathy for all our sufferings, 
And amnesty for past offences, 
The hand of fellowship to all our clergy. 
Joe. What's its date? 
Hofer. Two days ago. 

Joe. A ruse! A fake! 'Tis meant to gull us! 
Straub. We were not born on yesterday. 
Joe. Our eye-teeth have been cut. 

[Medici comes in. 
Medici. Is Hapsburg here? 
Hofer. He has not come. 



290 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Medici. I met him in the village on his way. 

Hofer. What news ? 

Medici Straight from Vienna. Here he comes. 

[Enter Baron Hapsbukg. 

Baron Hapshurg. I greet your Excellencies. My 
journey from 
Vienna left me a famished wreck. I tarried 
At the Kaiser-hof for slight refreshment. 

Hofer. Your coming has outrun you. 

Baron. Ah, then my rest was fortunate. Through- 
out 
This war the raven's been my prototype. 

Hofer. You're always welcome, dove or raven ! 
■ Baron. A message from our Emperor. 

[Handing him a paper. 

Hofer. The package is unsealed ! 

Baron. 'Tis so 'twas handed me. 

Hofer. (Reads. ) " My Tyrolese. I've tried to 
keep the promises I made to you some days ago, 
when France was on her back and we were at her 
throat. The French were then, I thought, my pris- 
oners, upon the isle of Lobau. Napoleon brought up 
reserves from Italy and from the Tyrol. Prince Eu- 
gene and Marshal Macdonald brought up two army 
corps from Italy. Marshal Lefebvre brought all the 
army from the Tyrol, full forty thousand. Thus rein- 
forced, the French defeated us at Wagram. To save 
my capital and throne, advised by all the princes and 
my generals, I made a treaty, and yielded two thou- 
sand square miles of territory, and of my people three 



ACT THIRD 291 

millions and a half. The Tyrol, by its terms, remains 
a province of Bavaria, and all my soldiers must be 
withdrawn from there. My sorrow for your misfor- 
tunes, which make my heart bleed, and my gratitude 
for your fidelity, exceed all bounds. 

" (Signed) Francis." 

[Consternation. 
Sad news ! 'Tis like a dagger to our hearts ! 
Will Austria desert us now ? Leave us 
To grapple with this huge Colossus, lone and single- 
handed ? [Meditating. 
Medici. So says that letter ! 

Hofer. The Emperor ! He promised me, when in 
Vienna, never to put his hand to any compact except 
his " Faithful Tyrolese " — these were his very 
words ! — were once again his children, bone of his 
bone, and flesh of his flesh. 

Medici. That promise was the echoing light of that 
Bright morning star called Hope ! The guns, alas, 
Of Wagram shattered this reflection — if 
Wagram ever was and there were guns.- 

[The people in the city have heard the rumors and 
are coming eagerly in squads, during the rest 
of this scene, till the square is full. 
[Etsciiman and Winteestall come in, and 
Friar Joachim. 
Friar Joachim. What news is this Dame Rumor 
trumpets through 
The city's streets ? A score of villagers 
This horrid tale are croaking in my ears ! 



292 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

[He and Hofer talk together^ and Hofer shows 
him the package and letter. 

Hofer. This unsealed package is an open book 
Which any one might write and foist upon us. 
Bring me a letter with the Emperor's seal 
And I'll believe the Emperor has signed it. 

Joachim. This, this is lies, deceit, some artifice . 
Invented by those artful French to gain 
Surrender ! Idle chaff ! I'll none of it ! 
A Trojan horse ! A Trojan horse ! 

Baron. This is no Trojan horse ! This letter signed 
By Francis, Emperor of Austria, 
Was given me three days ago. 

Joachim. By whom ? His name ? 

Baron. His name I did not learn. 

Joachim. His rank? 

Baron. An aide-de-camp. 

Joachim. Of whom ? 

Baron. The Emperor. 

Joachim. The letter was unsealed ? 

Baron. 'Twas as you see it. 

Joachim. Your orders were ? 

Baron. Deliver this to Andreas Hofer. 

Joachim. Know you the signature ? 

Baron. The Emperor's. 

Joachim. You've seen him write? 

Baron. No, never. 

Joachim. How know you then 'tis his ? 

Baron. I do not know. I think 'tis his. 

[The Baron has been growing red in the face and 



ACT THIRD 293 

excited hy this volley of questions and his 
ambiguous position. Hofer and Joseph, 
Joachim and Medici confer. They believe 
this is another part of the stratagem, nw.ant 
to entrap them and gain the surrender of 
Innsbruck. Joachim tears the letter into 
pieces and throws the pieces into the Baron's 
face. 
Joachim. A trap ! A trap ! Baited with forgery ! 
\_The Baron advances to resent the insult, but is 
overcome by his anger, and falls in an epi- 
leptic fit. 
Another Ananias ! 
Joe. A mad rascal ! 

Medici. Sold to the French! This is God's judg- 
ment! 
Joachim. God's wrath has struck him down! 
Joe. (To two soldiers.) Go, take him out! 

\_The Baron is carried out. One of Joe's scouts 
comes in with a package, which he hands to 
Joe and Joe hands to Hofer.. 
Hofer. One is addressed to the " King of Bavaria," 
One to the " Crown Prince of Bavaria," 
One to " General Drouet d'Erlon." [Reads. 

" Your Majesty. The Emperor of Austria accepts 
my terms. Napoleon." 

" Your Grace. The Emperor yields me two thousand 
square miles of territory and three and a half millions 
of his subjects. J^apoleon," 

" General. The Emperor Napoleon orders three di- 



294 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

visions of the Italian army to be at Linz, in the Tyrol, 
and six to be at Miihlbach, in six days, to reconquer 
the Tyrol. Botzen, Innsbruck and Pegri will be retaken 
at once. Show forbearance to the Tyrolese. Extend 
amnesty to all who lay down their arms. Duroc (Chief 
of Staff)." [Consternation. 

[After a silence. 
The raven has spoke true ! Our doubts are shadows ! 
Our roseate dreams turn gray ! The hand that held 
The Tyrol in its clutch is giant grown ! 
No Constitution now! The Tyrant rules. 
Now will he seize our freedom by the forelock 
And drag it through the mire of despotism. 
Religion weeps hot tears and tears her hair, 
For he will choose the shepherds who shall lead 
Our children's feet along the thorny road 
To Heaven ! Sixty thousand men ! Napoleon ! 
O God, how long ! How long must that remorseless, 
All-conquering sword carve Europe into states 
As butchers hew the carcasses of steers ? 
Have mercy! Hang Thy scales of Justice high 
In Heaven, a promise to the nations right 
Shall triumph, nor shall cease, till Peace shall spread 
Her aegis over Europe. 

Joachim. (Who has been examining the papers and 

conferring with Joseph.) A trick! A trick! A 

Celtic, Jewish trick ! — 
Your Excellencies, and you, compatriots: 
All's fair in war, this God of War believes. 
A paper bullet's softer than a leaden ; 



ACT THIRD 295 

And if it does its work, why not then use it ? 

We mountaineers know not the craft of men, 

The stratagems which blind the eyes with sand 

The easier to drive the dagger home. 

They think us senseless as the senseless sea 

That idly laps the shore ; they think us flotsam. 

These words are forgeries ! Tear them to shreds, 

And stuff them down this Frenchman's throat ! The 

lies 
Yon Judas tried to speak choked him to death. 
A Frenchman fattens on such diet. 

[The crowd cheer these sentiments. But Hofer 
and Joe, who are not convinced, are silent. 
Emelia and Gretchen come in. 
A Peasant. (To Hofer.) Must we embrace the 
knees of our oppressors, 
Lay down our arms, give up our hopes and vanish ? 
[Several Voices: ''No!" ''Never!" "Never!" 
" Never! " " The Tyrol for the Tyrolese! " 
Second Peasant. {To Joachim.) Don't God help 

those who help themselves ? 
Friar Joachim. He often has in ages past. 
Medici. Ten thousand Greeks at Marathon with- 
stood 
The hordes of Persia. [Applause. 

Friar Joachim. Three hundred at Thermopylae 
withstood three millions! [Applause. 

Medici. Across the sea, three million farmers faced 
All England and her myrmidons. 

[Applause. 



296 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

A Voice. And France and Spain lent them their 

swords. 
A Voice. Prussia will help us ! 
Another Voice. She hates the French! 

Another Voice. She's boiling with rebellion. 
A Voice. (To HoFBR.) What proof have you the 

Emperor signed that paper ? 
Hofer. Baron Hapsburg brought it here. 

[Voices: '' An aristocrat ! " ''A traitor!" "A 
renegade! " 
A Voice. He hates the Tyrolese. 
Joe. He turned his back on us at Hall, and scorned 
To send us help, when we were on the edge 
And precipice of ruin. 

[Joe is being carried away hy the prevailing en- 
thusiasm, but Hofer is not. 
Oppacher. Give me five hundred men and I will 
hold 
The pass of Strub 'gainst fifty thousand. 

A Voice. Our northern gate ! \^Applause. 

Joe. Twice have we held the Brenner, twice cap- 
tured Innsbruck. 
A Voice. Our central gate! [Applause. 

Medici. We all know Sterzing is Gibraltar. 
A Voice. Our southern gate! [Applause. 

Medici. The Swiss won independence ! So can we ! 
[Hurrahs, enthusiasm. They swing their hats 
and crowd off the stage, leaving Hofer, 
Emelia and Gretchen. 
Gretchen. You seem so sad, dear father. 



ACT THIRD ??I 

Hofer. (Shakes his head.) This is the height of 
madness ! 
We are a feeble folk. Our feeble breast 
Cannot withstand the battering-ram of Europe. 

Emelia. Our purpose and conceptions are sublime. 
Desert us not ! What counts one feeble life ? 
Their mountains saved the Swiss ; our mountains, too, 
May help us build a Tyrolese republic, 
And you may be its Tell. 

[_They walk off. 



298 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

ACT IV 

Scene I 

The Fugitives 

Winter. A hut, small, neglected, thatched roof, on 
one side of the stage. On the other side a fire at 
ivhich Anna is cooking something in a kettle sus- 
pended on a crotched stick. Gretchen is peeling 
some potatoes, which she puts in the kettle. Hofer 
is picking up branches of wood in the forest near by, 
which he brings in and puts upon the fire. All look 
haggard and hungry. This scene takes the front of 
the stage. 

Anna. (To Gretciten.) What! Fifteen hundred 
florins for his head ! 
Dead or alive ! 

Gretchen. The French have oflfered it. 
Anna. Who told you this? 

Gretchen. There is a placard posted in the village. 
'Tis signed hy General d'Hilliers. 

Anna. A bait thrown to our starving Tyrolese 
To tempt some tramp to tell this hiding-place. 

Hofer. (Who comes in with a handful of branches 
and puts them on the fire.) ]^o smoke ! I^o noise, 
my dears ! They might betray 
Us to our hunters. 



ACT FOURTH 299 

Anna. We know that well. 
Hofer. What have you in the pot ? 
Anna. Some bones for soup. They are our last. 
Hofer. To-night, then, I must venture villageward. 
Anna. No, no. You will be seen. 
Hofer. Your pinched and starving faces frighten 
prudence ! 
I think there's no one in our loving land 
Who does not love us far too well to tell 
Our secret to the breath of Heaven. 

[Emelia enters, hot and tired from her long climb, 
hearing a basket on her arm. 
Gretchen. Here comes our good Samaritan ! 

[Gretchen goes to meet her and takes the bas- 
ket. 
Emelia. There's bread and honey, butter, cheese 

and wine. 
Gretchen. 'Twas thus the ravens fed Elijah. 

[They all greet her cordially. 
Anna. 'Tis well you came, for Andreas had threat- 
ened 
To go down the berg to-night, and risk his capture. 
Emelia. (Handing a sealed envelope to Hofer.) I 

have good news ! Our Emperor sends you this. 
All. Our Emperor ! 
Hofer. (After opening and reading, while all crowd 

around him. ) Who gave you this ? 
Emelia. 'Twas Baron Hapsburg. 
Anna. A trick to find our hiding-place! 
Emelia. No, no ! Not so ! My life upon it ! 



300 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Hofer. {Reading.) " Dear, faithful friend. lam 
fearful for jour life. The French have set a price, 
I hear, upon your head, and hope, no doubt, the price 
may tempt some starving Tyrolese to turn a traitor. 
Come here, I beg of you. The Archduke John, who 
loves you well, joins me in this request. Here in 
Vienna you are safe; among your mountains, never. 
Already I have made you Count of Tyrol, and settled 
on you and your kin an ample stipend. Come quickly, 
ere it be too late ! Francis." 

Anna. The Emperor has a noble heart ! 

Emelia. And Baron Hapsburg has the horses ready 
Por all of you. 

[Anna and Gretchen embrace Mm with joy. 

Anna. Come, Andreas ! Come ! Now let us go ! 

Gretchen. Your life is very dear to us, papa. 

[LooJcing into his face. 

Hofer. Your lives are safe ! No blood has stained 
your hands ! 
The gates of Heaven, its walls of alabaster, 
Are not more stainless. 

Anna. Our lives are naught. 'Tis yours! 

Hofer. My life is but a feather on the wind. 
The winds may blow or north or south, 'tis naught ! 
My days are barques laden with broken hopes: 
And my nights agonies for Tyrol's woes ! 
All have borne arms since Prince Eugene proclaimed 
His amnesty are shot or gibbeted 
Or tied to horses' tails, men, priests and boys ; 
Our hamlets, deserts : towns are funeral pyres : 



ACT FOURTH 301 

This Battle-Fury, this awful God of War, 

Has never learned the potency of love, 

The witchery and statecraft of affection. 

This side the Rhine he rules by blood and iron. 

By mailed fists, not open-handed favor. 

But he will reap what he has sown — hate, hate. 

Eternal hate ! The murmurs of the surf 

Will soon become tumultuous thunderings 

Of ocean, maddened, mountainous, majestic. 

The corsair chief, who sails his paper barque 

In such a tempest, surely will be swamped. 

Those hundreds hoarded in Italian dungeons. 

In agony of patience, beg the walls 

To crush them. Can I leave these friends to die ? 

Emelia. But can you save them ? 

Hofer. I'm guiltier than they. My life might be 
Atonement, 'suage the tyrant's rage. 

Emelia. No one can die for all. 

[Anna a7id Gretciien kneel to him and caress 
him. 

Hofer. I was the battle-front of this, sedition. 

Emelia. But you advised they haul their pennon 
down 
And sheathe their swords. 

Hofer. But when the people fell upon my neck 
And begged me raise again the Gorgon-head 
Of War, I yielded to their prayers. 

Gretchen. Not willingly, papa ! 

Anna. You sweat great drops of blood before you 
yielded. 



302 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Uofer. That matters naught. The sanctity of mo- 
tive 

Is buried, lost in this great holocaust. 

I dare to die. I dare not be a coward, 

And slink away, a thief with blood-bought pelf. 

Thousands have died, breasting the thundering squad- 
rons; 

Shall I turn pale before the Great White Horse ? 

I urged them into battle's sulphurous hell : 

Shall I wait death upon a flowery bed ? 

" Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " — 

Earth, Heaven smiles when patriots meet their 
deaths — 

These words have wafted loving souls to Heaven, 

Exchanging death for gules of martyrdom. 

Shall I live on as lives the galley-slave, 

Crawl, sneak, and cower 'neath the patriot's lash. 

And die at last with none to shed one tear ? 

The potion mixed for others I should take. 

They've sixty thousand cutthroat knives 

Greedy to stab the Tyrol, face or back, 

Pile woes on woes until they top the clouds ! 

It matters naught ! The Tyrol's heart is broke. 

Hope, like the fairy Lorelei of the Rhine, 

Or the sleek Siren of Calypso's isle, 

Has lured me on from dream to dream 

Till Truth held up her mirror to my face 

And broke the glass. 

Emelia. (Pointing to the letter she brought.) The 
Emperor has made you Count of Tyrol 



ACT FOURTH 303 

And offers you a refuge from these wolves, 
And grants a revenue commensurate 
With this high title. 

Hofer. To take it were a sacrilege. My gratitude 
I'll send for his good offices. But I was born 
A peasant. Peasant will I die. These people, 
They've laid their lives, their honor, country, all 
Upon my shoulders ; rose as if one man ; 
The patriotic fires that warmed their hearts 
They fused into one flame, a conflagration. 
This revolution is a spectacle 
That ages hence will gaze upon in wonder. 
Shall I alone turn traitor ? Shall churlish tongues 
Say, when the ship was sinking Hofer fled ? 

Emelia. Your King deserted you ! 

Hofer. These people are my King; their love my 
life; 
Their breath my hope of Heaven; their hearts my 

tomb; 
Their faith my crown, e'en though of martyrdom. 

Gretchen. Hark! What's that? [All listen. 

Anna. The crackling of dead branches ! 

Hofer. Some animal, a deer, perhaps. 

Anna. I hear the rustling of dead leaves ... 

Gretchen. Like footsteps crunching through the for- 
est. 

Emelia. Into the hut ! Into the hut ! Quick ! 
Quick ! 

[Anna takes the hettle, Gretchen the hasTcei, 
Emelia the pan of potatoes. Hofer dead- 



304 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

ens the fire luith ashes. All rush into the hut, 
HoFEK last, closing and fastening the door. 
A Voice. Rafelle, you rascal, you've been cheating 

us! 
Another Voice. Judas, you damn'd black-hearted 
Jew, you've lost your thirty shekels ! You deserve a 
beating for taking us this dreadful climb ! 

[Enter Joseph Rafelle, ivho betrays Hofee, 
followed by Dittfurt, who is beating him 
over the head and shoulders with his sword 
and h'lching him. Several soldiers come in. 
Rafelle. Oh ! Oh ! Don't ! Don't ! I've lost my 
way ! 
That's all ! 

Dittfurt. You'll lose your head unless you find the 

rebel ! 
Bafelle. Oh! Oh! I'll find him! He's on this 
mountain ! 
Oh! Oh! Don't! Don't! 

[All looJc about them. 
Dittfurt. This mountain here is rightly called " old 
Schneeberg " : 
Its only tenants are the snows and glaciers. 
Hofer is no fool, to leave the dales the sun 
Has christened with the breath of life 
To batten on this iceberg. 
Soldier. Ah ! Here's a hut ! 
Dittfurt. Only a hunter's camp. 
Soldier. But here are ashes. 
Another Soldier. Yes, they are warm. 



ACT FOURTH 305 

DitifurL Last year, you fool. 

Soldier. But they have burned my hand. 

D'difurt. All ! lla ! Perhaps we're on the scent. 

Soldier. This door is fastened. 

Dittfurt. Inside ? 

Soldier. Inside. 

Dittfurt. Then use your bayonet. 

[The door is opened from the inside and Hofer 
steps out. 
Rafelle. Yes ! Yes ! That's General Barbone ! 
Dittfurt. " Barbone " ? 

Rafelle. We call him Barbone for his long beard. 
Hofer. I am the man you sock. I'm Andreas 
Hofer. 
Do what you like with me, but these are guiltless. 
Dittfurt. {While Anna and Gketchen crowd 
around Hopper to shield him from arrest.) Seize 
him ! Bind him ! Gag him ! 
Hofer. There is no need. I'll go with you. I've 
faced 
The cannon's mouth too oft to tremble now. 

[The soldiers seize Hofer and throw him down 
brutally upon his face. One pulls out a hand- 
ful of his long, red heard, one puts his Jcnee 
on the small of his hack, while another ties 
his arms hehind him. Blood trickles down 
his face. Meanwhile others tie Anna's hands 
hehind her hack. A soldier leers at Gretciien. 
Dittfurt remembers Emei.ia and offers her 
no indignity. Then they make a noose in 



306 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

a rope, put ilie noose round IIofer's neck like 
a halter and lead him aivay by it. As he goes 
he turns to Emelia and Gretciien. 
Hofer. Be steadfast and be patient. 'Tis thus that 

you 
May expiate my sins ! 

[One soldier remains behind to set fire to the hut. 
Two Tyrolese hunters rush out from the for- 
est and seize the soldier and detain him. 
DiTTFURT hurries hack to the rescue and is 
struck over the head in the melee with the 
butt of a gun and falls before the curtain goes 
down. 

Scene II 

Venice by moonlight. The Quay of St. Mark's, with 
the Bridge of Sighs across the stage in the back- 
ground. Time, sunset verging into evening. Chil- 
dren at play on the quay and feeding the doves. 
Gretchen and Emelia come upon the stage arm in 
arm. 

Oretchen. No answer from the Emperor! 

[Anxious. 

Emelia. It is not time. 'Tis six, no, seven days 
Since Baron Hapsburg spurred Bucephalus 
Towards Vienna. Have thou no fear, my dear ! 
Were Alexander's self upon his back 



ACT FOURTH 307 

The goal would not bo quicker won. No barb 

Of Araby, the children of the desert 

Hunt the fleet chetah on, could be more swift. 

Gretchen. When think you he'll return ? 

Emelia. He waved me this adieu — these were his 
words — 
" Expect me this day week at sunset." 

Gretchen. The sun is setting. 

Emelia. Give him some leeway ! 

Gretchen. Think you the Emperor'll beg Eugene 
To spare my father's life ? 

Emelia. To doubt it were the depth of folly. 
Has he not forded bogs of misery ? 

Gretchen. Composure sat so still upon my father's 
brow ! 

Emelia. 'Twas Patience on the cross ! 

Gretchen. And Marshal Bisson was so kind ! 

Emelia. Considerate as Justice ! 

Gretchen. His locks are driven snow ! Blazoned 
with medals ! 
A prisoner not many moons ago 
In Innsbruck ! When he yielded up his sword 
He tore his hair; his eyes were brooks. " Where shall 
T hide my poor, gray head, haloed with shame ? 
This day's the end of all ! " he faltered forth. 
My father's mercy turned this grief to love. 

Emelia. The whole court martial breathed forth 
mercy. 

Gretchen. " Unless Napoleon stays our hands," he 
said 



308 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

To Joe, " your sun will rise to-morrow." 

[Enter Joe in haste, disguised as a gondolier. 

Joe. (Eager and happy.) I met the General, in 
St. Mark's Square, 
While on my way. " The Fates," he said, " still guide." 
The judges sit again at once. 

Emelia. You think they'll vote acquittal ? 

Joe. Acquittal ? No. But spare his life. 

Gretchen. My God ! My God ! I thank Thee ! 

[Kneeling. 

Emelia. I'll bear this bcnison to your mother. 

[Hurries off. 

Gretchen. Saved ! Saved ! The fiends have lost 
their prey ! Three weeks 
Of agony ! The moon rose clear to-night. 
The bay appeared a shield of burnished silver: 
On it disported domes and gondolas 
Caparisoned Avith n^Tnphs and satyrs, imps, 
Ships in full sail, their masts garlanded with wreaths. 
Behold the Lion of St. Mark ! His wings 
Outstretched, that shielded for a thousand years 
This city, smile beneath the moonbeam's kiss. 
How perfect your disguise ! [Turning to Joe. 

Joe. A gondolier in dress and voice and song, 
My song keeps roundelay with my long oar. 
The French set, too, a price upon my head : 
For months I've habited yon mountains, chased 
By greedy, two-legged wolves, a fugitive. 
Come, Gretchen, let us lay aside the weeds 
Of war that drape the chambers of the mind 



ACT FOURTH 309 

And dress our thoughts in flowers and scarlet robes. 

How oft among yon mountains have we seen 

Anemones unveil their eyes at mom 

To let the sunshine dry their dewy tears ; 

Have seen the humming-bird asleep upon 

The zephyr, striding the sunbeam, feeding 

Of sweets the summer suns distil ! Oh, come 

And let us their sweet lesson learn. 

Gretchen. The mountain's breath is sweeter than 
the sea's ! 

Joe. But this is Venice, Adriatic's Queen ; 

f A gondolier's song is heard. 
Ay, queen of queens when clad in Ivuna's dress. 
See where that skiff glides through yon silver lane, 
Plowing up jewels in its lengthening furrow ! 
That gondolier ! He's some aquatic god 
Just risen from the council-halls of T^eptune. 
The rainbow lends him hues! Hark, hear his song! 
It echoes like some distant organ's voice 
Among these walls and seulptured cornices. 
Or as the trumpet-swan's soft notes 
Float on among our castled crags and cloisters. 

Gretchen. All wondrous, beautiful, but yet, not 
home! 
Our hearts love best the Tyrol's solitudes ; 
Our feet love best the chamois' rugged path, 
His home and pastures 'mid the realm of snow; 
Our bosom-friends are cataracts and glaciers, 
The hawk and eagle, whose broad wings are sails, 
Whose vision takes in half the Zodiac. 



310 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

'Tis these we love the best. [Affectionately. 

Joe. (Responding.) True! True! To-morrow we 
will wend our way 
Back home. This war, its wails, its woes, its tears, 
Have woven with a grasping web the threads 
We spun in childhood's days. From now we will 
Together climb the hill of life. Trust me ! 
You need a manlier arm than yours to keep 
At bay the fauns and satyrs will infest 
These solitudes hereafter. [Taking her hands. 

Gretchen. {Laying her head against his shoulder.) 
How strange that here between this palace front 
And this grim prison we should plight our troths ! 

[Mtisic is heard in the piazza. 

Joe. Hark! Hark! There's music! Love's sweet 
serenade ! 
It lends Romance's robe to Heavenly vows. 
Come, let us wander through the corridors 
That bound the Great Piazza, join the throng 
Of gay Venetians. 

[They go out hand in hand. 
[Enter Emelia and Baron Hapsburg. 

Emelia. And was the Emperor willing? 

Baron. Painfully willing! Quick as light he wrote 
To Prince Eugene to beg this boon : 
A pardon for his " faithful friend." 

Emelia. The letter ? Have you it here ? 

Baron. 'Tis flying toward Meran by courier. 

Emelia. My heart goes with it! [Earnestly. 

Baron. But what am I to have ? 



ACT FOURTH 311 

Emelia. (Smiling.) My gratitude! That's not 
enough ? 

Baron. Not quite. 

Emelia. My gratitude is not enough ? 

[Feigning surprise. 

Baron. A hungry man would starve on gratitude. 

Emelia. But gratitude is oft the food of love. 

Baron. Of woman's, maybe ; seldom of a man's ! 

Emelia. I have naught else to give. 

Baron. Ah, pardon me, you have a heart. 

Emelia. I fear I have no heart. 

Baron. You had one once; and I have seen you 
throw 
That panting jewel at the feet of poor. 
Sick, wounded soldiers, stretched on pine-bough beds, 
While I, poor wretch, was starving for a smile. 

Emelia. Are smiles such jewels ? 

Baron. Sometimes! Why, think you, have I done 
all this — 
Rode day and night from Venice to Vienna ? 

Emelia. To save a life. 

Baron. Why braved a sister's scorn and risked 
A father's life ? 

Emelia. To serve a noble cause. 

Baron. Why joined the Tyrolese ? 

Emelia. To help a prostrate cause. 

Baron. Why faced Bavarian bullets? 

Emelia. To set a people free. 

Baron. Stood to my smoking gims when Austria 
Had called her children home ? 



312 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

Emelia. To find a home in all Tyrolean hearts. 
Baron. And lose one heart worth all the rest. 
Emelia. But is it worth the price you'd pay ? 
Baron. Yes, ten times more. 

[She gives him her hand. 
Emelia. The prize you covet is not worth, I fear, 
The powder you have burned to get it. 

[She yields reluctantly , as if doubting her wisdom. 
[Enter Anna and Medici, disguised as a Capucin 
monk, ivho takes down his daughter's hands 
from her face. 
Medici. My daughter, why so pensive ? 
Emelia. These are not times in which our thoughts 
can play 
As do gazelles with their own shadows. 

Medici. True ! True, my child ! My heart is 
heavier 
Than yours. 

Baron. But Hofer's life is saved. What troubles 

you? 
Medici. The old, sad tale of disappointed hope ! 
My dream of liberty is all a mirror 
Broken to atoms ! Still, one hope allures. 
I saw in vision, half-awake last night, 
l^Tapoleon shipwrecked on a desert isle, 
Chained to a rock, cabined in a horse-shed, 
Activities Herculean penned in a sty; 
A vulture gnawing his own vitals, whose 
Food had been the enthralling of a world. . . . 
Anna. Oh, God ! That we might see that day ! 



ACT FOURTH 313 

Medici. A deep, sepulchral voice — 'twas from 
above — 
Spake in my ears these words : " Since time began 
No man has long defied Mankind and lived," 

Anna. The voice of God once spoke to Moses from 
A burning bush. 

Medici. So I bethought myself and prayed. 

[Joe and Gretchen come hack hand in hand. 
Joe. The time draws near when from yon clock- 
tower gate 
The mailed knight shall strike the hour of seven. 

[27ie clock begins to strike. All stop and listen, 
facing the bridge. A ray of moonlight lights 
the bridge. 
Medici. How spectral is this gloom! That long 
canal — 
Cimmerian in its night — winds in and out 
As wound the inky Styx through darkest Hades. 
One feeble ray of light brightens this gloom. 
Well-named, thou Bridge of Sighs ! A palace here ; 
A prison there ; and ocean rolls between. 
On either side beneath the tide are cells : 
Here reigneth Peace and Joy and Merriment; 
There lowereth Grief and Solitude and Crime. 
Within this banquet-hall, the Court of Life; 
Within that prison hall, the Court of Death: 
A birthplace here, and there a sepulchre. 
This sea divides two awful silences: 
One heralds Birth ; one trails pale Death; 
And Life's tumultuous billows surge between. 



314 THE TYROLESE PATRIOTS 

[The noise of the turning of a great key in a lock 
and the withdrawing of iron bars is heard, 
on the palace end of the bridge, where the 
court has been sitting. Then three figures 
step out on the bridge, the jailer with the 
prison-keys, IIofkr i?i black, and Father 
Joachim in a Capucin monk's garb. 
HoFER. (In a sepulchral voice to his friends below.) 

Mj judges would have granted me my life — 

Napoleon would not have it so. 

Farewell ! A long farewell ! Farewell forever ! 

I die to-morrow at the dawn. 

\^A deep moan goes up from the people below as 
the curtain falls, and the three move over 
the bridge. 



Last Scene. Spectacular 

The lights go down and it is night. Then, after a while, 
dawn lights the stage, and people pass along to their 
work. Anna, Gretchen, Joe, Medici and Emelia 
come upon the stage in black. The death-march is 
heard on the drums at a distance, coming gradually 
nearer, and a guard with guns reversed escorting 
Hofer attended by Joachim appear. They halt. 
The captain of the guard reads the warrant for 
Hofer's execution and tells him he must kneel and 
he blindfolded. Pigeons are running about picking 
up com. 



ACT FOURTH 315 

Hofer. I only kneel before my God ! I've faced 
Death often, and I shall not blanch. My hand 
Upon my heart will guide your soldiers' aim. 
My God ! My Fatherland ! My Emperor 1 



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